Read more at This Is London…

Crackdown on kerb-crawlers under new laws

Kerb-crawlers can be arrested on their first offence under new laws designed to tackle the demand for prostitution, Home Office minister Alan Campbell said today.

And a poster campaign launched to coincide with International Women’s Day will warn potential “punters” of new criminal fines of up to £1,000 for having sex with a woman forced into prostitution against her will.

Changes to the law coming into effect on April 1 will remove a requirement for police to establish that a man is “persistently” kerb-crawling before arresting him.

Mr Campbell said the reforms are intended to hit hardest the men who pay for sex, while helping often vulnerable women to leave prostitution.

“We are determined to tackle the demand for prostitution and provide help for those who wish to leave prostitution,” he said.

“These new measures build on the significant action we have already taken to tackle prostitution and trafficking for sexual exploitation. They will help bring greater protection to vulnerable people involved in prostitution.

“Alongside this we are also continuing our funding to tackle the appalling crime of domestic violence with £4.3 million to support help for victims.”

From April 1, a man paying for sex with a prostitute who is being exploited through force, deception or threats will be breaking the law, whether or not he knows that she is selling her body against her will.

Some Madison, Wisconsin hobbyists are blue these days.  Read more at The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel…

Online prostitution forum leads to arrests of 57 people
By The Associated Press

Madison police say they’ve cracked down on the sex trade by infiltrating an online forum popular among customers of prostitutes.

The Wisconsin State Journal reported that officers have arrested 57 people following eight months of monitoring the Web site.

Police Officer Jeff Pharo said he stumbled across the site while investigating a separate tip. He said the site offered updates of which prostitutes were walking the sidewalk, updates that he confirmed by driving by.

So he created a fake profile to establish himself, then began studying the comments of other people in the forum. The information led to dozens of arrests and citations.

Read more at The Province…

64 charges against prostitutes, johns in Calgary sting
By Sherri Zickefoose

A city-wide prostitution sting has seen 64 charges laid against johns and sex trade workers.

Police also have seized 25 cars from johns caught soliciting prostitutes, a penalty provided for in Alberta law.

Police made arrests on nine outstanding warrants as they operated the two-week undercover sting.

First-time johns can get their cars back after performing community service, but those who get caught more than once could see their vehicles seized by the Alberta government and auctioned off.

It’s always reassuring to read that law enforcement is a good 10-15 years behind the newest trends! Read more at WALB.com…

Hookers are giving up street-walking for web surfing

Police say the world’s oldest profession has gone high-tech. More prostitutes are leaving the street corner and turning to the web.

“What we are seeing is just outright advertisements for sexual services,” Deputy Chief Jaime Ayala of the Arlington, TX, Police Department said.

On one website well-known for its “adult services” advertisements, one out of every five ads in Dallas-Fort Worth originates in Arlington.

“We have received a number of complaints about what appears to be obvious postings of what appears to be prostitution,” Ayala said.

The Arlington Police Department is now launching operation “You Never Know” to fight online solicitation.

Undercover officers will be surfing the web, posing as prostitutes and johns.

“If you respond to an ad or place one, you never know who might be on the other end of the line,” Ayala said.

Read more here…

Police Targeted Suspected Prostitutes, Johns
Fulton County Police Cleaning Up Fulton Industrial Boulevard
By Tony McNary

CBS Atlanta went undercover with the Fulton County Police Department’s Special Operations Unit Friday night.

They were on a mission to clean up Fulton Industrial Boulevard’s reputation for being a haven for prostitution.

“After several years of being tired of this we’ve gotten a new approach. It’s going to be a sustained effort to continue doing this day in and day out,” said Captain Wade Yates.

An undercover officer posed as a “John” and picked up three women who police said offered him sex for money.

Another undercover officer posed as a prostitute. She was on the street less than five minutes before someone tried to solicit her.

Read more at The BBC…

Romania ‘tops EU sex worker list’

Romania has overtaken Russia as the top country of origin of migrant sex workers in the EU, a survey of prostitution across the EU has found.

In 2006 the top countries of origin were Russia, Ukraine and Romania – in that order, the Tampep network reports.

But in 2008 the top three were Romania, Russia and Bulgaria. Romania and Bulgaria joined the EU in 2007.

EU-funded Tampep collects data from welfare groups and public health bodies that monitor and help prostitutes.

Tampep’s data collection is part of an effort to curb the spread of HIV/Aids and other sexually-transmitted diseases.

According to the survey, Central and Eastern Europe, including the Baltic and Balkan countries, account for around 70% of migrant sex workers in the 27-nation EU.

The next largest groups come from Africa (12%) and Latin America and the Caribbean (11%).

Read more at The San Francisco Chronicle…

San Francisco prostitution crackdown leads to 51 arrests
by Jaxon Van Derbeken

In response to neighborhood complaints about a rise in prostitution and accompanying street crime, San Francisco police said Tuesday that stepped-up enforcement in the downtown area has led to 51 arrests since Jan. 1.

Police arrested three dozen suspected prostitutes and 15 would-be johns in the first two weeks of 2010, authorities said.

Those arrested for prostitution all came from out of town, some from as far away as San Diego, police said.

Police targeted Polk Street from Sutter to Washington streets, as well as portions of Van Ness Avenue and Leavenworth Street.

Read more at Yahoo News…

Prostitutes in Greece demand brothel license

Dozens of prostitutes, most using headscarves or hoods to hide their faces, demonstrated in central Athens Wednesday, demanding working licenses for brothels across Greece.

Prostitution is legal in Greece, and sex workers have personal permits to exercise their profession. But they can only do that by walking the streets, not using brothels. As a result, many end up working illegally and facing arrest because they operate out of brothels.

“We are here to put an end to our hardship and degradation,” said Dimitra Kanellopoulou, president of Greece’s sex workers’ association, SEPE. “The situation is tragic, hypocritical and miserable.”

About 100 sex workers held a rally outside the Interior Ministry, chanting: “We will not back down until we are given justice.”

Read more at NBC New York…

City Settles Granny Prostitution Arrest for $35K
Married granny had never been charged with a crime in her life
By JENNIFER MILLMAN

Talk about a case of mistaken identity. A Brooklyn grandmother was falsely arrested for prostitution by an officer with a rep for getting sued – and now the city has to pay for his error, according to a published report.

The 41-year-old has been married for more than a decade and never been charged with a crime in her life, according to the Daily News. But one fateful evening, walking to the hospital after suffering an asthma attack in the middle of the night, she was accused of trying to solicit men in Sunset Park and was arrested, the paper reports.

Police officer Sean Spencer, who has already cost the city $80,000 to settle four federal lawsuit against him, told the assistant district attorney that he saw the woman beckon to three men in the park, according to court papers obtained by the News.

He also falsely reported “that he was aware that plaintiff was previously arrested for [prostitution] when the plaintiff had never been arrested for this offense,” the papers said.

The case was set to go to trial, but Gonzalez opted to settle instead for a cool $35,000, according to the News.

Read more at The Richmond Times-Dispatch…

Richmond prostitution stings net 29 arrests
by Mark Bowes

Richmond police arrested 29 men and women on prostitution-related charges during four citywide sting operations this month, authorities said.

The charges included prostitution and solicitation of a prostitute.

“We’re responding to complaints from city residents who live or work in the areas where prostitution occurs,” Richmond police Maj. John Keohane said in a statement.