Met Police pilot female team to support street sex workers

The Metropolitan Police has begun a pilot scheme in north London named Operation Amicus, deploying a two-officer female team to engage with women involved in street sex work. The initiative seeks to foster trust and encourage reporting of violence, marking a shift from a strategy that has historically criminalised sex workers.

This new approach comes in the wake of significant failings exposed by the Simon Levy case. Levy, a convicted sex offender, was left free to kill two women and rape another due to a series of errors, including those by the police. The case highlighted a tension in the Met's approach to street sex workers, many of whom fear arrest and distrust officers to investigate violence against them.

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Endemic Violence and Fear of Reporting

Officers involved in Operation Amicus reported encountering widespread male violence against the women they met. The team works with an identified cohort of approximately 80 women involved in street-based sex work in the area. One officer told the BBC that "every single one has reported something," detailing experiences of rape, assault, and other forms of attack.

Many women fear reporting abuse due to the risk of arrest. One woman, referred to as Alice to protect her identity, stated that when she sought hospital treatment after an assault, she begged doctors not to contact the police for fear of being arrested herself. She later encountered the Operation Amicus team, who assured her they were there to support, not arrest.

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The officers involved noted that some women have become desensitised to violence, viewing rape and sexual assault by customers as a grim norm and questioning the point of reporting such incidents. The new team's objective is to help these women formally report crimes, with the aim that once they feel heard and taken seriously, they will report further incidents.

Shifting the Focus from Criminalisation

Superintendent Rob Gibbs stated that Operation Amicus acknowledges the need for a change in the Met's working methods, moving away from criminalising sex work. He explained that women often become trapped in the criminal justice system for minor offences, which can perpetuate further sex working. The aim is to break this cycle, recognising that women involved in street-based sex work face the "most harsh end of violence against women and girls."

The Metropolitan Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have both issued apologies for the decisions that allowed Simon Levy to remain at large. Levy has convictions for attacking 13 women, including the murders of Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo in March 2025 and Sheryl Wilkins five months later. A third woman was raped by Levy in January 2025, an incident initially mishandled by the Met.

However, some advocacy groups remain critical. The English Collective of Prostitutes (ECP) has pointed to a history of police prioritising the prosecution of sex workers over investigating male violence against them. Laura Watson, a caseworker for the ECP, described past police crackdowns in north London leading to aggressive arrests and the use of closure zones and antisocial behaviour orders, resulting in mass criminalisation.

Professor Kate Brown from the University of York, whose research focuses on policing interventions with sex workers, commented that while sex work liaison officers can improve safety and access to justice, their effectiveness depends on proper design and delivery. Her research centre is collaborating with 12 police forces to implement such teams safely.

What Happens Next

The Met reports that Operation Amicus has already led to improved safeguarding and an increase in reported rapes and sexual offences. The force also stated that information sharing has improved, aiding the identification of dangerous perpetrators. The pilot scheme's long-term impact and potential for wider rollout remain to be seen.