The suggestion that the police would not have cared as much, or failed to investigate as much, because a women was a prostitute I think is not always a fair summary. The police investigated all serious crimes and were duty bound to do so. It also has to be remembered that many female police officers also worked on the investigation.
The police are duty bound to investigate, just as they were in the Stephen Lawrence murder.
Predudice in the 70's was not limited to male media/officers and very few female police officers had position or power back then. I worked in the criminal justice system, police, courts and prison, back in the day where a woman had to fight twice as hard to be heard, unless they were offering to make tea.
Yes it will have taken later to realise what was happening. The police did not have the systems we have today and they would not have the man power to record and cross reference everything on cardex. But I also doubt that some of them had the will either.
The broadcaster Julie Bindell said as far on as late 1980 they did not take her seriously when she reported by a man following her in leeds and the next day a victim was found dead.
I don't think I tarred all police and public as not caring? However the culture at the time allowed the judgement of those who were, to go unchallenged, including the media.