Met needs to move away from criminalising sex workers, officers say after Levy failings
Summary
The Metropolitan Police in London are changing how they handle street sex work after a convicted sex offender, Simon Levy, killed two women and attacked another. They have started a new program with female officers to build trust with street sex workers so these women can safely report crimes against them.Key Facts
- Simon Levy, a convicted sex offender, killed two women and raped another who were involved in street sex work.
- Sexual activities like sex work are legal in most of the UK, but related actions like soliciting on the street and pimping are illegal.
- Police often target street sex workers, which makes these women afraid to report violence against them.
- The Met Police have started Operation Amicus, a team of two plain-clothed female officers in north London to connect with and support street sex workers.
- Many women involved in street sex work experience violence regularly but do not report it because they fear the police or expect abuse.
- The new team encourages women to report crimes and works to ensure their reports are taken seriously.
- Officers involved say criminalizing street sex workers is unfair because many women are trying to survive difficult situations.
- Residents have concerns about sex work on their streets, and police also want to address organized crime related to it.
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