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Following the Simon Levy case, there is a growing call within the Metropolitan Police Service to change how they approach women involved in street-based sex work. Officers speaking to the BBC emphasized the need to stop criminalizing these women, especially after Levy, a convicted sex offender, was able to murder two women and rape another, all of whom were vulnerable and sometimes engaged in street sex work. The failures within the Met’s handling of the case highlighted deep flaws in policing methods, alongside the conflicting attitudes towards street sex workers. In response, the Met is trialing a new initiative in north London that deploys a two-officer female team aimed at building trust among street sex workers and encouraging them to come forward when they are victims of crime.
Sex work itself remains legal across most of the UK except Northern Ireland; however, activities strongly linked with it, such as soliciting in public, working in groups, brothel keeping, pimping, and advertising sexual services, remain criminal offenses. Street sex workers are frequently targeted with anti-social behaviour regulations, fostering a climate of fear and mistrust towards the police. This environment discourages many women from reporting violence or abuse, as they often fear arrest rather than protection.
The BBC accompanied the plain-clothed female officers promoting the new scheme, called Operation Amicus, during patrols in the area. These officers noted widespread male violence toward sex workers, describing how every woman they engaged with had been subjected to assault or abuse. One officer explained: “Every single one has reported something, whether they’ve been raped, they’ve been punched—they’ve been attacked in some way, shape or form.” Nonetheless, numerous women remain too frightened to report these crimes due to a lack of trust in law enforcement. The officers recounted hearing that some women expect sexual violence as an unavoidable aspect of their lives and therefore see little point in reporting it. The team’s focus is to empower these women to formally report offenses and ensure their experiences are taken
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