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An escalating pattern of behaviour could be putting women in danger and officers need to act fast. This episode explores the vulnerable nature of the street sex worker industry in Peterborough and how it is policed. PC Sarah-Kate Watson talks about how an unusual case involving an escalating pattern of strange behaviour was managed.
A case involving something the team ‘had never seen before’.
[Intro] Welcome to cams cops our stories the podcast series that delves into the force's unheard stories covers the news that you want to hear and explores the issues that matter to you.
Here's what's coming up in this episode
[PC Watson] “I predominantly deal with the red light district area Peterborough. there's like a whole section um that kind of attracts that kind of clientele.”
[Interviewer] “Presumably something drives these women to this lifestyle?”
[PC Watson] “Sadly it's drug addiction, drink, all sort it's all mental some of it mental health as well”
[Interviewer] “It's a very unique thing that he was doing so it's not your normal behaviour, if there is normal behaviour”
[PC Watson] “No, he started very minimal just using sex workers. You know it's like you see these crime programs you see these documentaries it all starts with something very small and insignificant possibly where does it go next does it go to violence?”
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[Interviewer] “Welcome Sarah thank you for joining us um first of all tell us about your role and how long you've been doing that for?”
[PC Watson] “So I'm part of the Peterborough City Centre Neighbourhoods team um I've only been on the team 18 months um I've predominantly done Response Team probably the last 10 years I did actually three years I did um rape and investigations team in a different Force. So, neighbourhood policing to me when I joined was completely new to me um but something I'm really enjoying still at the moment.”
[Interviewer] “Good. Tell us about um this case that you worked on and what the context was in Peterborough?”
[PC Watson] ”So in Peterborough city centre is obviously you get your shoplifters you've got um your drug dealing, you've got kind of various crimes going all over the city centre. um I predominantly deal with the red light district area Peterborough. So um we've got a lot of sex workers exploiters and obviously got the community that are also not happy with the circumstances what's going on in their area. So that is predominantly what I'm looking at it's part of an op called Operation Glacier, which has been going on for many many years.”
[Interviewer] “Roughly what area are we talking about how big is the area?”
[PC Watson] “So the area would be um Bley Road Park Road um Lincoln Road there's like a whole section um that kind of attracts that kind of clientele so I see sex workers drug dealers and exploiters um so that is that predominant area of Peterborough.
[Interviewer] “And does most of that come from calls from the public?”
[PC Watson] “Yes so we do have a high calling service from members of the public obviously predominantly residents that live there you know they don't want Street sex working going on their doorstep um and there's also that attracts drug dealing violent crimes ASB. It comes with a lot of um criminality so they don't want that their doorstep so we do get a high call of service of sex workers on the doorstep.”
[Interviewer] “And is that night and day weekend weekday?”
[PC Watson] “Yeah obviously predominantly evening time. um you have the a very small amount in the day but it's very quite rare but I'd probably say with the sex working and any kind of of ASB that happens i' would say it's probably about 9:00 onwards and it does happen throughout the night um sadly.”
[Interviewer] “So and historically what's been our approach to that?”
[PC Watson] “um Al I've only been 18 months so I don't know kind of what was done um prior to me joining um but I would say predominantly it would be engaging with the community the sex workers um obviously identifying exploiters. um it would be issuing cpws and CPN so Community protection warnings and Community protection notices um that's how it's been dealt with I think since well for quite a long time issuing warnings”
[Interviewer] “What do those two warnings actually do?”
[PC Watson] “So you've got the community protection warning which basically if you're seen loitering or acting an antisocial manner in that area um you are not to go in that area between a certain time. so I think it's normally 7 till 7: so 7 at night till 7:00 in the morning um and then that's what the community protection warning is. If they're caught again within 12 months of having that warning they then get a community protection notice which will mean it's same conditions don't enter that area between a certain time um but if they're caught again it carries an arrest power um which can be founded in prison or both. um so it gives us that more of a power to kind of identify the exploiters.”
[Interviewer] “and what's the law around this are we are we targeting the the users here the the the men?”
[PC Watson] “yeah so yeah generically at the moment we are dealing with uh the curb crawling side of things so the it is predominant males that are obviously picking up the women. um so at the moment we are we were obviously issuing CPN and CPWS now we are looking to kind of further that to identify high-risk offenders. um so we are taking the approach of arresting people because we can we have the power to do it um we just take a bit more of a heavier approach. it carries things like if we arrest them we can get their DNA um they could be linked to other serious offenses that have been reported to us so it's it's a stretch that we're trying to kind of put out for.”
[Interviewer] “Yeah and is it the same all faces or is it different?”
[PC Watson] “No it's it various different faces I know people have a generic idea of kind of who use sex workers but it's not it it's a vast of different people that are using sex workers.”
[Interviewer] “And what was your approach then to tackling this issue?”
[PC Watson] “So a lot of what I've been doing is my a lot of my role is safeguarding. so we have three strands top place it's vulnerable women community and exploiters so my main role is the safeguarding side of things of the women um and engaging with them getting their confidence to report crime. so OB and through that and speaking with partner agencies like CGL Aspire you've got housing you've got the council because obviously they're getting complaints from the community just speaking to everybody and coming together to kind of identify kind of you know the bigger the bigger issue where where they're getting picked up from um who's been seen in the air more than the other so.”
[Interviewer] “Because presumably something drives these women to this lifestyle what have you what's what is that generally?”
[PC Watson] “So obviously sadly it's drug addiction, drink, all sort it's all some of it mental health as well. So, it's trying to safeguard them but also trying to you know they they are also doing wrong but there's nothing in place at the moment to kind of um give them a reprimand as to what they're doing at the moment but is something you look into in the future.”
[Interviewer] “Yeah and there's the sexual risk order is that a step on from the community protection warnings?”
[PC Watson] “Yes so with most of our more kind of high risk exploiters and which we do have we do have like a handful that we do keep an eye on. um we are looking to do sexual risk orders on obviously. In particular we forgot um very unusual case um he started very minimal just using sex workers then it got to the point we were getting Intel and reports from various agencies the girls themselves and was just getting general direct information that he started to um get the girls in public to lick his boots. we've got one incident where he took a female into a p petrol station um, made her do that, he stamped on her hand to stop her getting up he's got up she's got up and they've left um through that um OB see the vrm for the petrol station us being able to identify who that woman was um we identified who was kind of doing it cuz it's a very unique thing that he was doing in.”
[Interviewer] “So it's not your normal behaviour? if there is normal.”
[PC Watson] “um so started with that and then we got even more information through that his behaviour is escalating quite concerning. he started shaving their hair off and obviously doing sexual services with them and upon himself as well. so for us it was like okay the next progression what's he going to do after that so that's why we were like we need to get a sexual risk order put in. he already had a CPW in place he he breached that so then he was issued a community protection notice um and we were actively told by partner agencies that he was breaching that but obviously we couldn't witness it so we couldn't arrest him for it. so we just thought the next best approach would be the sexual risk order.”
[Interviewer] “Yeah presumably because that requires less evidence than to bring him to book for the actual crime?”
[PC Watson] “Yeah so with the sexual risk order um we needed very B of information. the obstacles we had was the girls wouldn't VI statements because obviously he was paying well and some of them didn't mind it happening but I didn't see I don't think they foresee the consequences further on. um but they were happy to tell us information. um we had partner agencies that didn't want to provide statements because they did have a trusting relationship with the women and did not want to tarnish it so that was another obstacle um but the obviously the strengths of the evidence we did have was me providing the statement from what I heard from various women um I also had the statement for myself that the partner agency told me um we have the CCTV footage from the petrol station and a statement that was taken off the petrol attendant two years after the fact um she remembered it like it was yesterday I think something like that you would um and we had 22 pieces of intelligence that he was doing this because we had his car identified as well.”
[Interviewer] “and this has moved beyond just an issue in antisocial behaviour issue in the area hasn't it when you say escalation what do you mean what could happen?”
[PC Watson] “So so we obviously using this obviously he went from sex working to boot licking to shaving people women's hair and also performing sexual acts on them and on himself. where does it go next does it go to violence because if he's got scissors to cut their hair is he going to use them as a weapon is he going to rape any of the women it we just thought the escalator was very concerning so it was just something we needed to kind of nip in the bud while now before anything else kind of progressed.”
[Interviewer] “and I guess that has been examples Nationwide do know such as stuff where somebody has moved on from yeah just using sex workers.”
[PC Watson] “Yeah and it's and it you know it's like you see these crime programs you see these documentaries it all starts with something very small and insignificant possibly and then they it progresses and it gets ignored and what we're doing is try and stop it before anything kind of more serious happens.”
[Interviewer] “Yeah so what's the latest on that on that case then?”
[PC Watson] “So he was issued I think was the 9th of April n no yeah 9th of April this year he was issued a sexual risk order um so we applied for it to happen for two years he it's the same it is similar conditions to the CPW but it's the the weight of the um punishment is a lot worse so he still can't enter that area between 7 and 7, he has to register his vehicle um if he gets a new vehicle and which he has done actually he's declared that and he's got to do that within three days of change of vehicle um he has to provide a change of address if he changes his address within 3 days and um it will carry a fine in prison or both if he's caught and with that he's actually come back and thanked us for his help because I think he he explained that he had addiction to poppers and being in that area that's where he went to buy them and then he started engaging with the women and through that he's kind of sent us an email saying thank you for your help you know I've I've kind of SE where I've gone wrong I've got help my home life's better that kind of thing so overall that obviously like I said Glacier is a massive thing that's not going to change overnight but if we've helped him and some safeguards some women I think we've done a good job.”
[Interviewer] “Yeah and as you say this whole issue is probably not going to change overnight but how are we dealing with that going forward are we um using these similar sort of orders on different people you may not solve the problem but how are we keeping it under?”
[PC Watson] “it's a very difficult question to answer but kind of looking forward um we are going to be starting arresting people who are actively seen engaging with sex workers that we believe that are buying sexual Services. um we are go get arresting them getting their DNA like I said they could be linked to other crimes um the CPWS will still be in place and CPN for people loitering in the air if they've got no reason to be um you know why are you hanging around 3:00 in the morning when you don't even live here we know kind of what area it is sex working if they've got not a reason we'll give them a warning um and with the women um obviously there's no kind of reprimand or Consequences at the moment um but in the future I think it will be something we'll be looking at not just targeting exploiters but obviously kind of safeguarding them but kind of they have to have consequences.”
[Interviewer] “And looking back what's the sort of key takeaway for you what's what's the learning point?”
[PC Watson] “I've learned so much just being on NPT for 18 months anyway because it's something I've never done before um never knew what CPW was never knew what community protection notice was didn't know what sexual risk order was it's all stuff that you know I've I've learned so much from and it's also liaising with different agencies different departments um I've learned so much from it not just taking a call and it being repetitive every day it's something I've really enjoyed and it's obviously it's long-term project for me to work on which I've I've enjoyed and I've had obviously my team to help me legal departments helped me and obviously other the colleagues as well it's been a massive learning curve.”
[Interviewer] “Yeah and have you had much feedback from local people do you do we have much contact with them around the work we do?.”
[PC Watson] “um so obvious we do still get the calls that the women are still hanging around and loitering in the area um but we are having um this community um neighbourhood meetings um we are actively patrolling that area especially when one late shifts we're always out on patrol um so I don't not much has changed in the call of service but we're we are engaging with the community telling look this is the work we've done and they're very happy with the work that we've done um targeting exploiters um I think the next thing will be to see what we can do about the women as well but safeguarding them at the same time.”
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