Met Police Pilots New Approach to Sex Workers After Levy Failings

The Metropolitan Police is piloting a new initiative involving a two-officer female team in north London aimed at engaging with street sex workers, a move prompted by significant failings, including those exposed in the Simon Levy case. Officers believe this approach is necessary to foster trust and encourage vulnerable individuals to report crimes committed against them.

The Simon Levy case, in which a convicted sex offender was responsible for the deaths and rape of multiple women, highlighted serious deficiencies in policing and the inherent conflict in the force's approach to street sex work. While sex work itself is legal in the UK, soliciting clients in public, working together, or operating brothels are illegal. Street sex workers have also frequently been targeted using anti-social behaviour powers, leading many to fear arrest and distrust law enforcement.

The BBC accompanied the plain-clothed officers involved in Operation Amicus, the new scheme. They reported hearing about widespread male violence against the women they encounter, many of whom are part of a cohort of approximately 80 identified street-based sex workers in the area. "Every single one has reported something," one officer stated, detailing incidents of rape, assault, and other attacks.

The officers noted that several women are too afraid to report abuse to the police, with some accepting sexual assault as a routine part of their work. The new team is working to help these women formally report crimes, with the goal of building confidence and ensuring they are taken seriously. "Once they report one and they realise they're being listened to, they then start to report the next one because they know that somebody's going to turn up and somebody's going to listen and they're going to be taken seriously," one officer explained.

Officers involved in the scheme advocate for the Met to move away from criminalizing women in street sex work, emphasizing that these individuals are often simply trying to survive. They acknowledged concerns from residents regarding street sex work and the need to address organized crime.

Simon Levy, who was sentenced to a whole-life term, committed numerous assaults, including raping a woman in January 2025 shortly before murdering Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. The rape survivor had reported the assault to the police while being arrested for a separate offense, but her report was not thoroughly investigated and the case was only reopened after the murders. She stated that she felt unheard and patronized by the interviewing officers. The Met and the Crown Prosecution Service have since apologized for decisions that allowed Levy to remain at large.

Superintendent Rob Gibbs stated that the new team represents an "acknowledgement that we needed to change the way in which we were working" and move beyond criminalization. He added that women involved in street-based sex work face "the most harsh end of violence against women and girls."

One woman, referred to as Alice, shared her fear of contacting the police after being assaulted, expressing concern about being arrested herself. She found reassurance in the new liaison team, who assured her they were there to support, not arrest.

While the Met reports that the new team has improved safeguarding and increased reports of sexual offenses, the English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) expressed skepticism. Laura Watson, a caseworker for the ECP, highlighted a history of police prioritizing the prosecution of sex workers over investigating male violence against them, citing aggressive arrests and the use of closure zones and anti-social behaviour orders that led to "mass criminalization."

Professor Kate Brown from the University of York, whose research focuses on policing interventions with sex workers, stated that while liaison officers can improve safety and access to justice, they cannot fix a system that criminalizes sex workers. She advocates for decriminalization as the most effective way to ensure safety and justice.

The Met indicated that if the pilot program proves successful, the approach could be expanded force-wide. A Home Office spokesperson affirmed their commitment to tackling exploitation and abuse associated with prostitution and stated that police are expected to treat all victims with dignity and conduct thorough investigations.