Though, now officers are battling with a different set of prostitutes who moved in to take their place. Many of the sex workers lingering on street corners six months ago have vanished from the area, thanks to the police patrols. The prosecutions handed out by police are effective too, with officers claiming: "We've never seen the same man twice."Ī police letter to their home address - exposing their wrongdoing - is the last thing these often-married men want.īut shockingly, the demand is so high, officers are being "kept busy" by new waves of immoral men picking up the girls. Officers dished out awareness courses, warnings and one even faced court for using the women for sex. In just six patrols, police caught 21 men with sex workers on the busy road, where kerb crawling has become a "neighbourhood priority". If this sickening 'demand' for prostitution on Soho Road disappeared, so would the street walkers, police stress.
#Teen gay blowjob on the phone gay porn windows#
We spent six hours with Handsworth Community Action Group and West Midlands Police on their seventh patrol of 2019 to see how prostitutes are safeguarded and kerb crawlers tackled.īut despite their trauma, men still eyeball them, negotiate prices through car windows and engage in sex on rotting flytipped sofas and in darkened street alleyways. There are women who have been raped, robbed, beaten and worse - but desperation pushes them to continue selling their bodies for cash. Police speak to a male after he was suspected of being seen with a known prostitute. These stories are just a snapshot of the troubling reality for girls on Soho Road, Handsworth. Recently BirminghamLive joined West Midlands Police and the Handsworth Community Action Group street watch to see how women are being safeguarded and kerb crawlers, prosecuted.
However, charities warn that criminalising sex workers for street prostitution is not the answer. If they are charged on multiple occasions, they may receive a fine or an anti-social behaviour order.
In general, men and women who are charged with soliciting for prostitution for the first time will usually be cautioned and given encouragement to access support services. This doesn’t necessarily mean that street prostitution is more prevalent in Birmingham - just that police in the city are more likely to record it as a criminal offence, and take action accordingly. In most areas in England and Wales, including most of the West Midlands, no cases of street prostitution were recorded as a criminal offence at all.
While the figure might seem small, it is one of the highest numbers of recorded offences in the country. Used condoms and sex on rotting sofas - on patrol with police fighting Soho Road kerb crawlers.MPs will investigate whether women are turning to prostitution to survive because of the Universal Credit system (Image: PA) Read More Related Articles