The emerging tensions between police forces on how to police prostitution

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Ruth Jacobs in Merseyside Model Campaign // 0 Comments

“The failure of West Yorkshire Police and other forces to fully adopt the 2011 guidance is indicative of a fundamental difference of opinion, perhaps even tensions, among senior police officers from different forces about how to police prostitution…. These tensions are now spilling out in to the mainstream media. In a Guardian article from January 2014 about the murder of Mariana Popa, two of Britain’s most senior police chiefs (both ACPO members) – Chris Armitt, assistant chief constable of Merseyside police and the national police lead on prostitution in England and Wales, and Martin Hewitt, deputy assistant commissioner of Scotland Yard and the lead for adult sexual offences at the Association of Chief Police Officers – denounced the police approach to prostitution as a mess and said that operations to tackle the trade are “counterproductive” and likely to put the lives of women at risk.”

What Can I Do About It?

In a previous post (The policing of prostitution in West Yorkshire) I discussed how West Yorkshire Police is not following the Association of Chief Police Officers 2011 Guidance for Policing Prostitution and Sexual Exploitation in at least two important aspects, namely treating crimes against sex workers as hate crimes and employing Independent Sexual Violence Advisors to support sex workers. What does the Association of Chief Police Officers think about their guidance not being followed by West Yorkshire Police?

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