Streets Apart: Outdoor Prostitution in London Julie Bindel and Helen Atkins The POPPY Project Eaves Housing for Women Second Floor Lincoln House London SW9 6DE Telephone 020 7735 2062 www.eaves4women.co.uk Charity Number 275048 Acknowledgements Thank you to those organisations which facilitated outreach for the researchers – Estelle Young, Healthy Options (Newham), Pam Mazava, Streetlink (Streatham). Sarah Stephen-Smith for the initial planning and research, and Louise Hinchliffe for her design and publishing of this document. Ken Shuttlewood from the Police Performance Information Bureau provided useful crime and arrest figures, as did Hanna Gregory from the Prostitution Strategy Team, Home Office. Thanks you also to Sue Jago, Home Office, and Chris Pellett, analyst with CO14 (Metropolitan Police Clubs and Vice Unit). 2 Contents 1. Introduction................................................................................................5 2. Aims and Methods .....................................................................................9 3. Police Responses ....................................................................................11 3.1 Anti Social Behaviour Orders ........................................................................................ 12 3.2 All Cautions for Prostitution by Borough ....................................................................... 14 3.3 Hackney ........................................................................................................................ 14 3.4 Haringey........................................................................................................................ 15 3.5 Islington ......................................................................................................................... 15 3.6 Lambeth ........................................................................................................................ 16 3.7 Newham ........................................................................................................................ 16 3.8 Tower Hamlets .............................................................................................................. 17 3.9 West End Central .......................................................................................................... 17 3.10 Westminster ................................................................................................................18 4. Facts and Figures on Violence Towards Women in Street ..................19 4.1 Prostitution .................................................................................................................... 19 4.2 Current Regime in the UK ............................................................................................. 19 4.3 Tolerance Zones ........................................................................................................... 21 5. Summary of Key Findings and Implications for London......................23 6. Demand.....................................................................................................26 6.1 Good Practice in Tackling Demand - The Swedish Approach...................................... 28 6.2 Kerb Crawler Re-Education Programmes..................................................................... 29 6.3 Kerb Crawling Offences (Jan 2006 - Jun 2006)............................................................ 31 6.3 Kerb Crawling Offences (Jan 2006 - Jun 2006)............................................................ 31 6.4 Brixton ........................................................................................................................... 31 6.5 CO14 ............................................................................................................................. 32 6.6 Hackney ........................................................................................................................ 32 6.7 Lambeth ........................................................................................................................ 33 6.8 Newham ........................................................................................................................ 33 6.9 Paddington Green ......................................................................................................... 34 6.10 Tower Hamlets ............................................................................................................ 34 6.11 London ASBO Issuance (All Ages) ............................................................................. 35 6.12 London ASBO Issuance (Adults) ................................................................................ 35 6.13 London ASBO Issuance by Borough .......................................................................... 36 6.14 Offences of Loitering for the Purpose of Prostitution (2003-2006) ............................. 36 6.15 Offences of Soliciting for the Purpose of Prostitution (2003-2006)............................. 37 6.16 All Prostitution Offences (2001-2006) ......................................................................... 37 6.17 Soliciting Women for Prostitution (2001-2006) ........................................................... 38 6.18 Kerb Crawling for Prostitution (2001-2006)................................................................. 38 6.19 Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation (2001-2006).......................................................... 39 6.20 Brothel Keeping (2001-2006) ...................................................................................... 40 6.21 Pimping – Controlling Prostitution for Gain (2001-2006) ............................................ 41 6.22 Phone Card Offences (2001-2006)............................................................................. 41 6.23 Key Boroughs for Street Prostitution........................................................................... 42 6.24 ASBOs by Borough (includes all offences) ................................................................. 43 6.25 Kerb Crawling Offences: Venues MPS (Jan 2006 - Oct 2006)................................... 44 7. Hackney Case Studies - Arrests (Hackney, 2004-2006)........................45 7.1 Women in Prostitution ................................................................................................... 45 7.2 Kerb Crawlers................................................................................................................ 45 7.3 Persistent Buyers .......................................................................................................... 45 3 8. Ethnicity (Hackney, 2004-2006)...............................................................46 8.1 Ethnicity of Women Arrested for Prostitution (2005-2006)............................................ 46 8.2 Ethnicity of Women Arrested for Prostitution (2004-2005)............................................ 46 8.3 Ethnicity of Kerb Crawlers Arrested (2005-2006) ......................................................... 47 8.4 Ethnicity of Kerb Crawlers Arrested (2004-2005) ......................................................... 47 8.5 Ethnicity of Persistent Buyers (2005-2006)................................................................... 48 9. Residency (Hackney, 2004-2006)............................................................49 9.1 Residential Borough of Women Arrested for Prostitution Offences (2005-2006) ......... 49 9.2 Residential Borough of Women Arrested for Prostitution Offences (2004-2005) ......... 49 9.3 Residential Borough of Men Arrested for Kerb Crawling (2005-2006) ......................... 50 9.4 Residential Borough of Men Arrested for Kerb Crawling (2004-05) ............................. 50 9.5 Residential Borough of Men Arrested for Persistent Solicitation (2005-2006) ............. 51 9.6 Residential Borough of Men Arrested for Persistent Solicitation (2004-2005............... 51 10. Age (Hackney, 2004-2006).....................................................................52 10.1 Age of Women Arrested for Prostitution Offences (2005-2006) ................................. 52 10.2 Age of Women Arrested for Prostitution Offences (2004-2005) ................................. 52 10.3 Age of Men Arrested for Kerb Crawling (2005-2006).................................................. 53 10.4 Age of Men Arrested for Kerb Crawling (2004-2005).................................................. 53 10.5 Age of Men Arrested for Persistent Solicitation (2005-2006)...................................... 54 10.6 Age of Men Arrested for Persistent Solicitation (2004-2005)...................................... 54 11. Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................55 Bibliography.................................................................................................57 Appendices ..................................................................................................61 4 Terminology ‘Women involved in prostitution’ will be used to describe women in the sex industry. The term ‘sex worker’ is used widely among a number of individuals and projects, primarily because it is considered less stigmatising than ‘prostitute’ and because some believe that prostitution can be viewed as ‘labour’. Interestingly, very few women in the sex industry use the term ‘sex worker’ to describe themselves. The use of these terms dignifies and de- stigmatises the sex industry and the