Presented by; Rosie Campbell, Postgraduate
Researcher, School of Applied Social Sciences,
Durham University
At:
Rethinking Hate Crime? Bringing Theory &
Practice Together, University of Bradford, 25th
July
Parallel Presentation 11.45-1

Document the current approach adopted in Merseyside to crimes against sex workers

Build on research on sex work policy in Merseyside examining the politics of multi agency
responses to sex work & how multi-agency responses to sex work

Identify factors leading to the Merseyside Hate Crime approach to addressing crimes
against sex workers & how this is related to the wider historical and contemporary
development of multi agency /partnership work on sex work and historical, socioeconomic and political dynamics of localities

Explore how this approach relates to wider national policies /frameworks and governance
of sex work

Explore how women involved in sex work in Liverpool have experienced this model

Explore whether crimes against sex workers “fit” definitions of hate crime victimisation

INTERVIEWS & FOCUS GROUPS WITH
o Current & former police officers
o Current & former sex workers
o Support service staff
o Commissioners, policy makers & other agency
stakeholders

WORKING CLOSELY WITH ARMISTEAD SEX WORK
SUPPORT PROJECT

ANALYSIS UGLY MUGS DATA & LOCAL POLICY
DOCUMENTS

DOCUMENTED HISTORICALLY ENDURING STIGMATISATION , OTHERING &
OBJECTIFICATION OF SEX WORKERS (Pheterson, 1988 ,Roberts, 1994, O’Neill, 1997, 2001,
2007) e.g.s HIV panic stigmatisation (Scambler et al, 1990) additional rape myths (Miller and Schwarz,
1995), discourse of disposability (Lowman, 2000, Kinnell, 2006, 2008), urban blight (Hubbard, 2009,
Scoular et al 2009: shapes hostility, social outcast status/social exclusion, contributes to denial of
citzenship rights & lack of protection from victimisation (O’Neill and Barberet, 2000)

CRIMINALISATION & POLICING: EXACERBATING SEX WORKER RISK OF VIOLENCE &
ACTING AS BARRIER TO REPORTING, ACCESS TO JUSTICE & PUBLIC PROTECTION
(McKeganey and Barnard, 1996, Sanders, 2004, Brookes-Gordon 2006, Sanders and Campbell, 2006,
Hubbard, 1999, 2006, Kinnell, 2008, Cusick & Boynton, 2006)

CREATE VULNERABILITIES INCLUDING EXPOSURE TO VIOLENCE & HARASSMENT:
Research body on violence & harassment experienced by people involved in sex work : range of
violence (everyday violence to murder) & perpetrators,


Varying patterns across sectors & working conditions (Church et al. 2001, Kinnell, 2008,
O’Doherty,2011) - concerning highest levels in street sex work (Shannon et al,2009) – marker of social
exclusion (O’Neill & Campbell, 2000)
LIMITED TRUST/CONFIDENCE IN POLICE & UNDER-REPORTING OF CRIMES
COMMITTED AGAINST PEOPLE INVOLVED IN PROSTITUTION: EASY
TARGETS/GETTING AWAY WITH IT

HATE CRIME LITERATURE: DISCUSSIONS RE THE WIDENING OF
HATE CRIME VICTIM GROUPS BEYOND ESTABLISHED HATE
CRIME GROUPS (Chakraborti & Garland, 2009, Garland,
2010)
SEX WORKERS APPEAR TO FIT VARIOUS DEFINITIONS FOR
HATE CRIME VICTIMISATION:
 History of marginalisation/discrimination,
 Experience acts of violence and intimidation which “put
them in their place” and reinforce the real or imagined
social order (Perry, 2001)
 “Deliberately singled out because of their actual or
perceived difference” (Garland, 2010)
 Perceived Vulnerability (Chakraborti , 2011)

 Hardship,
Hatton, Heroin, HIV & the rise of
harm reduction: 1980-1995
 Community
action, community safety,
regeneration & action research: 1995-2002
 Murders
 Paying
& managed areas: 2003-2005
the Price, Public protection,
proportionality & hate crime: working around
and beyond the national strategy: 2006-2011

NON JUDGEMENTAL HOLISTIC
HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE SUPPORT

ESTABLISHED PARTNERSHP WORK
WITH POLICE: VEV, VIDEO
INTERVIEWING, LIAISON OFFICERS

SAFETY & VIOLENCE INTIATIVES

UGLY MUGS RE-ESTABLISHED &
LINKED FORMALLY TO POLICE

1ST SPECIALIST INDEPENDENT
SEXUAL VIOLENCE ADVISOR (ISVA)
POST FOR SEX WORKERS IN UK
ESTBALISHED (Oct 2006)
 Ipswich
december
2006: 5 women
murdered

“From a policing perspective dealing with
prostitution is a difficult balancing act…Sex
workers are members of the community who
are vulnerable to attack….we will not tolerate
violence against sex workers in turn they
should have the confidence to report crimes
with the knowledge that they will be taken
seriously by us…. Merseyside Police are
determined to bring all perpetrators of Hate
Crime to justice. .we were the first force in
the country to recognize and respond to
attacks against sex workers as a form of hate
crime”
Chief Constable Bernard Hogan Howe

UGLY MUGS (3RD PARTY REPORITNG
SCHEME) FORMALLY LINKED TO POLICE
INTELLIGENCE & INTEL SPOC

HATE CRIME POLICY

CLOSE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SEX
WORK PROJECT (ARMISTEAD) &
 SEX WORKER FRIENDLY SEXUAL
POLICE


SPECIALIST INDEPENDENT SEXUAL
VIOLENCE ADVISOR
ASSAULT REFERRAL CENTRE &
SPECIALIST RAPE TEAM PROACTIVELY
REACHING OUT TO SEX WORKERS
PROACTIVELY BUILDING TRUST &  CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE
ENGAGEMENT: unprecedented number
CONFIDENCE TO ENCOURAGE
of case bought to court
REPORTING: INLCUDING MEDIA
MESSAGES IDENTIFYING SEX
WORKERS AS PART OF THE
COMMUNITY & STRESSING CRIMES  STRATEGIC ENFORCEMENT &
INTELLIGENCE LEAD POLICING
AGAINST THEM WILL BE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY

HIGH LEVEL SUPPORT & FORMAL POLICY

MAYJOR INCIDENT TEAM

UNITY TEAMS (SPECIALIST RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT UNIT) CO-LOCATED WITH
CPS

SIGMA HATE CRIME UNITS

NEIGHBOURHOOD POLICE

CID

CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT: STRATEGIC FORCE LEAD

POLICE LIAISON OFFICER

PUBLIC PROTECTION ETHOS: PREVENTING & BRINGING TO JUSTICE SERIOUS
CRIME PRIORITISED

400% increase in the proportion of people reporting to project “Ugly
Mugs” giving consent to share full details with the police (from 2005 to
2009)

Indicates increased trust & confidence in Merseyside Police amongst
women involved in street sex work

SARC & Unity Team established 2007: 98% of sex workers reporting
sexual offences accessed SARC for full forensic medical examination

Conviction rate for crimes against sex workers in Merseyside, reported
to police making it to court from 2007 to June 2011 - 83%

Conviction rate for cases involving rape and sexual offences for same
period - 75%

Peter Lau (2008): pleaded not guilty Assault - 18 month community order
under the Insanity Act

Michael Wilcox (2008): pleaded guilty wounding -4 yrs

Mr O (2006): rape – not guilty verdict (in
court again 2011 to face other rape
charges)
Mr AS (2008): pleaded not guilty found
guilty - historical child abuse-17 years
(not named to protect victim)

Paul Kelly (2009): pleaded not guilty
found guilty - assault (DV) -16 months
Kinsella (2007): guilty plead - robbery and
assault, 18 month community order

Mr C ( 2009 ): theft by finding-Police
Caution – pleaded not guilty found guilty
Neil Chubb (2007): pleaded not guilty –
found guilty -2 x rape - 12 yrs & IPP

Michael Molyneux (2009): pleaded not
guilty 2 counts rape-(2 trials)- 4 years IPP

Ernest Tyler (2006): pleaded not guilty
found guilty - Robbery, 5 yrs & life long
Anti social behaviour order

Joseph Kiara (2006): pleaded not guilty –
found guilty) rape & false imprisonment - 8
yrs then deported (woman jumped from
third floor window)




Matthew Byrne (2010): initially charged 35 offences 6 women,
pleaded guilty to offences on 4 women, indecent images, OPD IPP, 3.5 years, life on sex offender register

Mr N (2010): pleaded not guilty case collapsed after 2nd trial client too ill to proceed with 3rd trial

Carl Davis (2010): pleaded not guilty found guilty - several
counts of rape on 3 women (1 woman of women a sex worker) IPP 10.5 years

David Roach (2010): pleaded not guilty found guilty on two
counts rape on 2 women -7.5 years

Kieran Thomas (2010): pleaded not guilty found guilty - assault
and robbery – 2 years


Lyndon Jermaine Lewis (2011): pleaded not guilty found
guilty of; intent to commit a sexual offence), kidnapping,
held against will against sw + hreats to kill, abduction, held
against will on 2 other non sex working women same night

Lee Kelly (2011): guilty on 15 charges (5 rapes, 3 assault by
penetration, robbery, false imprisonment, threats to kill,
section 18 wounding, section 47 assault) 15 yrs & IPP.
Against two woman (one was sex working at the time &
one recently exited). Extreme violence used.

Kenneth Dixon (2011): pleaded guilty to attempted rape,
sexual assault by penetration, possession offensive weapon
& false imprisonment of a sex worker -4 years YOI, 2 yr
extended monitoring, Sex Offender registration for life.

Brian O’Rourke (2006,2011): pleaded guilty to rape & false
imprisonment & committing an offence with intent to
commit a sexual offence – two women 1 a cold case - 10
years

Amrullah Hafizi (2011): pleaded not guilty to Rape – found
guilty – 6 years & recommended for deportation –
Crimewatch most wanted14th July
Mr K (2010): pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive
weapon-£85 fine (found in car with sex worker with a hunting
knife)

Mr C (2010): pleaded not rape to two counts of rape found not
guilty

Mr T (2010): pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape found
not guilty
A DEPRAVED man subjected a woman to sickening sexual torture while holding her
captive for nine hours. LEE KELLEY, 23, tied up, brutally attacked and repeatedly
raped his 46-year-old victim over many hours at his home. Liverpool crown court
heard when the woman eventually managed to escape, she was found by police in
city centre Hope Street soaking wet, badly beaten, covered in blood and halfnaked.
She led police to Kelley’s Rice Street flat. In the wake of his arrest, DNA evidence
proved he had also raped, attacked and robbed a sex worker before leaving her for
dead just a week earlier, on September 6 last year.
Judge David Harris QC yesterday said he had “no doubt” Kelley was a dangerous
offender and jailed him indefinitely.
He said: “It can only be described as a ferocious and sustained campaign of sexual
depravity and appalling physical violence towards her, involving much humiliation
and degradation of her. You put her in genuine terror for her life.
“She perceived your vicious and depraved conduct while you kept her prisoner over
about nine hours as tantamount to a prolonged course of torture.”
David McLachlan, prosecuting, said when the woman was taken to the Royal Liverpool
Hospital she had so many injuries it took the doctor more than four hours and eight
body charts to record them. She was eventually sectioned for her own protection.

IMPACT OF MURDERS

POLICE CHAMPIONS IN SENIOR POSITIONS

CHANGES IN POLICING RAPE & SEXUAL ASSAULT: UNITY
TEAM & SAFE PLACE (SARC) ESTABLISHED 2007

WIDER POST MCPHERSON CHANGES IN POLICING
DIVERSITY: FOCUS ON HATE CRIME & ESTABLISHMENT
OF SIGMA HATE CRIME UNITS

ADVOCACY OF SEX WORK PROJECT: PARTNERSHIP &
INDEPENDENT SEXUAL VIOLENCE ADVISOR ROLE
 Hate
crime: “any hate incident that constitutes a
criminal offence, perceived by the victim or any
other person, as being motivated by prejudice or
hate”…the prejudice or hate perceived can be
based on any identifying factor, including, but not
exclusively, the following 5 strands of equality;
disability, race, religion/belief, sexual orientation
or transgender” (pg 2)
“For
sex workers particularly it’s the element of trust…, it’s part of society , sex work is
not going away, the more trust you can have the better. They are vulnerable to
attack, the better position we are in to give the support needed the better. Out of all
the vulnerable groups subject to hate crime they are properly the most likely to be
victims
…so treating as hate crime and linking it into a focused team who can build up
relationships with Armistead is the way forward…pushing it through as hate crime you
have to have the support and realisation of all, or there is no point having a policy in
place. ...
It had built up over time and there were a lot of people involved….I have to be honest
and say if we put something in place we have usually learned from mistakes or a
realisation we could have done an awful lot better..we think of cases in the past
where sex worker rapes have collapsed… What shows crystal clear is we are
achieving the convictions after long court cases, which to be honest would not have
happened 10 years ago…..
.....if a sex worker is attacked by a group of vigilantes because they don’t like
prostitution in their area that is a hate crime, if she get’s things put through her door
that is hate incident maybe a hate crime”
(Detective Chief Superintendent, Force Crime Operations, 30 years service, set up
Public Protection)
“WE HAD A CASE WHERE WE COULDN’T HAVE GOT IT TO COURT WITHOUT UGLY MUGS AND
THE PROJECT. THEN THERE WAS A FURTHER MURDER OF A SEX WORKER & IT WAS A CASE
OF WHAT ARE WE ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY DOING ABOUT THIS? IT’S ALL WELL AND GOOD
THAT WHEN IT HAPPENS THEY ARE DEALT WITH BY MIT BUT WHAT ARE WE DOING TO
PREVENT IT? THE TIMING OF IT KICKED IN WITH IPSWICH 2006 AND THIS DOCUMENT IN
WHICH CHIEF CONSTABLE SAID WE SHOULD TREAT CRIMES AGAINST SEX WORKERS AS HATE
CRIME AND THE NEW HATE CRIME UNITS WERE BEING SET UP…I came into setting up the unit
in North Liverpool I was aware it was to be treated as hate crime, that there was this
relationship with Armistead, I thought ok we had 5 strands of diversity..that would come
under hate crime and sex work I was aware of the bigger picture and I took that on ….sex
workers became the 6th strand in North Liverpool we had that issue, OUR APPROACH WAS
DON’T BE NARROW MINDED LOOK AT OTHER ISSUES IN OTHER PARTS OF COUNTRY FOR
EXAMPLE THERE HAD BEEN ISSUES AROUND GOTHS AS AN IDENTIFIABLE GROUP…IT IS
PREJUDICE AGAINST AN IDENTIFIABLE GROUP THAT IS THE BASIS OF HATE CRIME SOMEONE
HAS BEEN TARGETED BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE, AND YOU ARE BEING TARGETED
BECAUSE OF THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE VULNERABLE. ...BUT I BELIEVE IT FITS THE
CRITERIA FOR THE REASONS THAT SEX WORKERS ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE AND AN
IDENTIFIABLE GROUP AND SOME PEOPLE WILL TARGET SEX WORKERS, ESPECIALLY STREET
SEX WORKERS BECAUSE OF THEIR VULNERABILITY BECAUSE OF WHO THEY ARE AND
WHAT THEY ARE DOING, SO FOR ME THEY FIT THE CRITERIA AND THAT WAS SUPPORTED BY
THE CHIEF CONSTABLE SO IT WAS A CASE OF THAT IS WHAT WE DO. IT WAS THE ROLE I AM
MOST PROUD OF... TIMING IS EVERYTHING AND THERE WAS ALSO A HUGE DRIVE AROUND
SEXUAL OFFENCES”
(SERGEANT, CID FORMERLY RESPONSIBLE FOR HATE CRIME UNIT, NORTH
LIVERPOOL, 14 YEARS SERVICE)
Int: Do you think crimes against sex worker should be treated as hate
crime?
“I think they should because they are a minority group,
with individual needs as with the gay community and
ethnic minorities, so yes I do think they should be.....”
(Police Neighbourhood Inspector, responsible for policing main street sex
work area, 20 years service)
YES DEFINITELY HATE CRIME IS APPROPRIATE FOR THIS GROUP. THE IPSWICH
MURDERS REALLY HIT HOME AND THE PEOPLE WE LOST HERE”
(DETECTIVE CONSTABLE, MAJOR INCIDENT TEAM)
HATE CRIME FOR US DEALS WITH 5 STRANDS, IT’S FOR SOMEONE IDENTIFIED AS BELONGING
TO A PARTICULAR GROUP, THE SAME APPLIES TO SEX WORKERS. GIVEN THEIR
VULNERABILITIES THEY NEED AN ENHANCED SERVICE, THEY NEEDED IT ESPECIALLY THE
WAY THEY WERE TREATED UP TO 2006. AFTER STEPHEN LAWRENCE THERE WAS A SEA
CHANGE IN POLICING MINORITY GROUPS AS VICTIMS, THERE WAS A FAILURE IN THE MET
AND LESSONS HAVE BEEN LEARNT FROM THAT AND THE MURDER OF ANTONY WALKER IN
LIVERPOOL. THIS IS PART OF THAT WE HAVE TO GAIN THE CONFIDENCE OF VICTIMS AND
THEIR FAMILIES..UNDER ARTICLE 2 OF THE EUROPEAN CONVENTION WE
HAVE TO PROTECT THE LIVES OF ALL. IN MERSEYSIDE WE APPROACH
INVESTIGATION OF CRIMES AGAINST SEX WORKERS AS HATE CRIME AND
FROM THE VIEW POINT THAT SAFETY OF SEX WORKERS MUST BE
PRIORITISED ABOVE ALL ELSE “
(DETECTIVE SUPERINTENDENT, PUBLIC PROTECTION)
Int: Have you heard of hate crimes?
crime?
SU 5: You mean like homophobic crime and race?
Int: Yeah. Merseyside police have said they want to take crimes against sex workers
seriously, they want officers to treat them as if they were hate crime. What do you think
of that? SU 5: IT’S AMAZING!
Int: Right so does it makes sense to you? SU 5: YEAH IT’S POWERFUL. IT’S POWERFUL. IT
SHOWS THE POLICE ARE NOW TAKING A MORE HANDS ON OPPORTUNITY. THEY CAN’T
PRETEND ANYMORE THAT THESE CRIMES DON’T EXIST, END OF STORY, THEY DO EXIST!
Int: So recognition? SU 5: YEAH. WHY CAN’T YOU BE COMFORTABLE WITH WHOEVER YOU
ARE WITHOUT BEING HURT, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IT’S ABOUT TIME, IT’S ABOUT TIME
THAT’S ALL I’VE GOT TO SAY.
Int: So would you say it’s a good thing they treat them as hate crime? Is it something you
support?
SU 5: Yes I do, all the way, all the way.
Int: Why do you think sex workers get targeted? SU 5 The street girls because of their
alcoholism and addiction they are classed as the what’s the word? The dregs of society.
There’s myths about us on diseases, because of our addictions and stuff like that. You
know we’re thought of as half a human being, that’s why they treat us like that. And
they think they can get away with treating the sex workers like that.
(SU5, AGE 30, FEMALE, BISEXUAL, DUAL HERITAGE BRITISH/NIGERIAN. 6 YEARS
STREET SEX WORK 2004-2010, PRIMARY CRACK ADDICTION, IN REHAB)
“As a sex worker yeah you get abuse off the
public, young kids in cars throwing coke at us,
you know, eggs and stuff at us. Calling us names,
you must have seen it on the block, some of the
kids in cars?..Yeah I’ve had it a lot…
Int: Do you think they were targeting you
because you’re black or a sex worker?
“Sex worker and they call me nigga, black whore,
everything and being a sex worker, both”
Why do you think men like him target sex workers? SU 4: Because we’re
easy targets working girls, he’s properly thinking of the stigma from the
early eighties nineties. You know it might have been up to 2000 the
way the police tret the girls and they didn’t report half the rapes that
went on. He is properly thinking it’s still like that. Not thinking there’s
been a big turn around since the early days to now where the girls can
go to the police, report it and get something done about it. He properly
hasn’t heard about ugly mugs, well he has now (laughter), but he might
not have done then. If he had he wouldn’t have dreamt of doing it would
he”
The police have got this policy where they’ll treat crimes against sex
workers, initially as hate crime, like they do for the black and gay
communities. Had you heard about that? SU 4 No I haven’t. But you
know I know some people hate prostitutes, you know a lot of people
think we carry diseases like, syphilis, AIDS, hepatitis and all that and
there are a lot of young lads that go round beating up the girls for
fun…”..
(48, straight, single, White British, street sex worked Liverpool over a 27
period to support her heroin addiction. Started 1984-1994, exited for
12 years, started working again 2006-Jan 2011)
Have you been a victim of hate crime do you think?
…..”Yeah I’ve been nearly run down ..over the years I’ve been called prostitute,
junkie, whilst I was working you get gangs of fellas and girls in the cars
shouting “Agh dirty prostitute”. There was one time, and I never reported it
to the police, back in the 80’s., there was this fella and he had a white van I
went in for business, he was a dealer and he forced my head down on him,
punched me in the face, and then threw me out of the van saying like “dirty
whore” and tried to run me over. I crawled up an embankment and it was two
steep for him..
…So no I’ve not heard about it being a hate crime but I can identify with that,
You know stigma you get all that, it’s not with the outreach teams and the
police no more but the public in general. We’re vulnerable women ...people
need to recognise that we are human beings and we are nice underneath”

So this hate crime thing does it make sense to you? SU 4 “ Well if it’s working
yeah. Yeah it does fit for me..they’ve gone about it the right way. Well it’s
working because certainly for me with this rape case and the period I was
waiting for it to come to trial you know speaking to them they were brilliant.
They have done a good thing there. They are treating people with respect”.

They were bastards, bastards…They didn’t like us, they
hated dealing with us, like they could catch something
off us…it was obvious... they’d cover with your coat
between the finger and their thumbs and guide you to
the van. It was during the time when AIDS was first
publicised and they must have thought because we
were junkies and prostitutes that we all had AIDS and
you could catch it. .. you could see the hatred on
them, you know scowling, a look of distaste. The
police were very intolerant to you at that time, you
know they’d see you they nick ya, because it was a
residential area they, just wouldn’t tolerate it. So we’d
be pushed from pillar to post you know go and stand
there but where ever we stood we got nicked...they
did them purges...”
…… when I went back out again I just done Crown Street area,
never got nicked once. Every time I saw the police I was hiding in
the bushes and one of the girls was just standing there and I said
“What are you doing you’ll get nicked” . She said no they don’t
nick you now, they warn you first and if your still here in half an
hour, they even given us a half hour window so we could get a
client and go home. ..
The police weren’t on our case all the time, were standing on
Crown street it is not a residential area, the police were happy,
the girls were happy and the clients were happy. They stop and
have a chat and see how you were and you could have a laugh
with them then. You could talk to them…with the rape case it was
so different than before, they were so nice to me no matter what
was going on, even if I had the littlest questions I could phone
them two (specialist rape officers)......I’ve got both their mobile
numbers and since I was threatened they’ve put the landline to
here on fast track so if we phone they head straight here. ..the
police have been brilliant!”

SEX WORKERS EXPERIENCES OF VIOLENCE &
HARRASSMENT SHOW THAT THEY ARE
VICTIMS OF HATE CRIME & FIT A RANGE OF
DEFINITIONAL CRITERIAL FOR HATE CRIME

APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN A SHIFT IN POLICE
ATTITUDES & POLICY TOWARDS CRIMES
AGAINST SEX WORKERS IN LIVERPOOL

APPETITE TO MOVE AWAY FROM ONGOING
PROHIBITION & BLANKET CRIMINALISATION
TO ACTIVE “MANAGEMENT” OF SEX WORK
BALANCING THE NEEDS OF ALL
STAKEHOLDERS AND WITHIN THAT TAKING
SEX WORKER SAFETY SERIOUSLY

PRIORITIZING SEX WORKER SAFETY &
EMPHASIS ON PUBLIC PROTECTION HAS
PRESENTED AN ALTERNATIVE TO DOMINANT
APPROACHES FOCUSED ON ERADICATION OF
STREET SEX WORK ,“TACKLING DEMAND”, &
DISRUPTING OFF STREET SEX MARKETS

Hate Crime Approach to Crimes
Against Sex Workers: locates
and prioritises sex worker
safety in the public protection
arena & recognises the rights
of sex workers as citizens to
safety and access to
justice. This cancompliment a
rights based approach to
inclusion, citizenship & holistic
social justice (O’Neill, 2007)

Hate crime approach: is an
important symbolic banner for a
number of policing initiatives &
multi agency approaches which
have distinguished Merseyside’s
approach to policing sex work
& specifically crimes against sex
workers.

Pragmatic approach focused on actual violence and harassment can
contribute to more effectively addressing violence against sex workers

Still a way to go: in further building trust & relationship between police and
sex workers in all sectors, embedding the approach across the force & in hate
crime practices

Hate crime approach in Merseyside is being recognized as having positive
outcomes & influencing national policy (ACPO Lead on Prostitution
advocated this Feb 2011, forthcoming Home Office (2011) “Effective
Practice in Responding to Prostitution)

Key ongoing challenge is navigating the tensions created by a framework of
criminalisation particularly regarding the role of police as enforcers of sex
work laws & agency offering public protection to all citizens