Prostitution Offences (1342A/22)
Request
Under the FOI act I would please like to know the following. By each calendar year I mean 1 Jan to 31 Dec. For 2022 please give data from 1 Jan up to 31 Sep inclusive.
1, The number of times your force has executed a search warrant in each calendar year since 2017 on known or suspected brothels
2, The number of prostitute’s cautions your force has issued in each calendar year since 2017
(The definition of prostitute’s caution is outlined here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/prostitution-and-exploitation-prostitution – please search non-statutory ‘prostitute’s caution’ on the page and you’ll see it)
3, The number of cautions (as a judicial disposal, by which I just mean excluding prostitute’s cautions) your force has issued in each calendar year since 2017 to anyone suspected of the following offences:
– Causing or inciting prostitution for gain (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 52)
– Controlling prostitution for gain (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 53)
– Keeping a brothel used for prostitution (Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 33A as added by Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 55)
– Persistently loitering or soliciting in a street or public place for the purposes of offering services as a prostitute (Street Offences Act 1959 Sec 1(1) as amended by Policing and Crime Act 2009 sec 16)
– Soliciting another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street or public place (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec51A added by policing and Crime Act 2009 Sec 19)
– Paying or promising to pay a person to pay a person to provide sexual services, where that person is subject to exploitative conduct to induce or encourage them to provide those services (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 53A. Added by Policing and Crime Act 2009 Sec 14)
Please break this down by offence
4, The number of people your force has arrested in each calendar year since 2017 for the following suspected offences:
– Causing or inciting prostitution for gain (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 52)
– Controlling prostitution for gain (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 53)
– Keeping a brothel used for prostitution (Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 33A as added by Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 55)
– Persistently loitering or soliciting in a street or public place for the purposes of offering services as a prostitute (Street Offences Act 1959 Sec 1(1) as amended by Policing and Crime Act 2009 sec 16)
– Soliciting another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street or public place (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec51A added by policing and Crime Act 2009 Sec 19)
– Paying or promising to pay a person to pay a person to provide sexual services, where that person is subject to exploitative conduct to induce or encourage them to provide those services (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 53A. Added by Policing and Crime Act 2009 Sec 14)
Please break this down by offence
5, The number of charges authorised in your force area in each calendar year since 2017 to anyone suspected of the following offences:
– Causing or inciting prostitution for gain (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 52)
– Controlling prostitution for gain (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 53)
– Keeping a brothel used for prostitution (Sexual Offences Act 1956 Sec 33A as added by Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 55)
– Persistently loitering or soliting in a street or public place for the purposes of offering services as a prostitute (Street Offences Act 1959 Sec 1(1) as amended by Policing and Crime Act 2009 sec 16)
– Soliciting another for the purpose of obtaining their sexual services as a prostitute in a street or public place (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec51A added by policing and Crime Act 2009 Sec 19)
– Paying or promising to pay a person to pay a person to provide sexual services, where that person is subject to exploitative conduct to induce or encourage them to provide those services (Sexual Offences Act 2003 Sec 53A. Added by Policing and Crime Act 2009 Sec 14)
Please break this down by offence
Response
Please see our response below and attached.
1, The number of times your force has executed a search warrant in each calendar year since 2017 on known or suspected brothels
Information with regard to residential search warrants is not centrally collated, or stored in an electronically searchable format. Therefore, in order to determine the requested information, we would need to conduct a manual search of records within teams and departments across the whole force area. Such a search however would be a huge undertaking and exceed the appropriate limit (FOIA, s.12).
2, The number of prostitute’s cautions your force has issued in each calendar year since 2017
(The definition of prostitute’s caution is outlined here: https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/prostitution-and-exploitation-prostitution – please search non-statutory ‘prostitute’s caution’ on the page and you’ll see it)
No recorded information held – we don’t issue prostitute cautions in the West Midlands Police Force area