Brothels run by gangs are using 'gumtree-style' ads in a bid to lure in customers and advertise services on adult versions of the popular site.
Police in Humberside are clamping down on the illegal brothels after discovering them in short term rented accommodation in Hull. They believe there are around 50 of the pop-up sites in Hull and a further 50 in the East Riding, which are used from anything between three days to a few weeks at a time.
Undercover officers have been working to uncover the outlets and help the women involved - some of whom have been found to be victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, reports HullLive.
Det Sgt Rich Kirk, who leads the force's Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking team, explained that the unit are there to 'safeguard' women and help them, rather than arrest and prosecute them. He said women from south-east Asia and eastern Europe were being trafficked and exploited in the temporary brothels, and told of how the brothels operated and how customers gained access.
“The likes of Viva Street and Adult Works are like the Gum Tree of the sex worker world,” DS Kirk explained. “They are effectively classified ads. If you go to the sites you will see the services they offer."
DS Kirk added: “There are often quite explicit photos but they are usually stock images and not those of the women themselves. There are some details about them and a menu of the services they offer. They can offer 15 minutes or it can even be overnight. But the rate tends to work out overall at around £120 an hour.”
While working undercover, DS Kirk and his team have had to go through the process customers experience in order to meet up with sex workers and offer them a way out. “There will be a telephone number and part of a postcode on the ad,” he explained.
“You test the number to see if there is an appointment available and at what time. Only when you arrive in the area can call will you be given the address.”
He added: “When we arrive at the property we immediately tell them we are police but we try to remain discreet and don’t go in all guns blazing. We want to make it clear we are there to help safeguard the women rather than arresting them.
“A lot of the women we come across don’t want to speak to us because they don’t want to get into trouble or sent back home. But we are here to safeguard them. We tend to get other agencies involved who the women might feel more comfortable speaking to.
“The other issue is that some of these women do not realise all the services available to them to deal with the likes of sexual health. We are raising the profile of this issue not to prosecute these women but to help them.”
It is unclear exactly how many pop-up brothels there are in the region, but adverts suggest there are likely around 50 in Hull, 50 in the East Riding, around ten in Grimsby and five or six in Scunthorpe at any one time. Despite their experience, those in the team find the classified ads 'shocking'.
“Everyone is in shock when they realise they extent of the adverts,“ DS Kirk said. “Most of us had never heard of Viva Street before coming into this team.
“Everyone is aware of street prostitution and the traditional pimp but these adult ad sites seem to almost legitimise it. We could push for legislation to close these sites down but they actually help us monitor where these women may be being exploited.”
Due to their softly, softly approach, the MSHT team do not target customers for fear of spooking the women. “We also don’t go after the customers,” DS Kirk said.
“There have been two occasions when we have entered a brothel with customers present. We tend to take their details, have a chat to show them the error of their ways and send them on their way. If we start arresting everyone then the women will clam up.
“We had one guy we suspected was a customer but claimed to be fitting a kitchen who raised concerns about a brothel he was in after seeing a woman chased down the stairs by a man. He reported this to us and that kind of feedback is vital.”
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