Changing attitudes to buying sex

A course which aims to change the behaviour of men caught kerb crawling is set to run in London for the first time.

Police will select offenders for the course from amongst those arrested in a four-day police operation to crack down on kerb crawling held this week in Tower Hamlets.

Those eligible will be given the option to go on the one day ‘Change Course’, instead of appearing before Magistrates Court.

The course, a pilot scheme held in Tower Hamlets paid for by kerb crawlers themselves, will teach men about the lives of the women they seek out. It also examines the effect of their offending on their wives and girlfriends.

Police will sign up the first candidates from those arrested on Operation Brek, a joint operation between Weavers and Spitalfields/Banglatown Safer Neighbourhood Teams and the Met’s Clubs and Vice Unit. The operation ran between Monday 30th June and Thursday 4th July in Commercial Street and the surrounding area and saw 26 arrests on suspicion of kerb crawling.

Participants must be low-level offenders who admit their offence. They will be given the choice of paying £200 to go on the course and receiving a caution, or being charged and making a public appearance at Magistrates Court- where typically they would receive a £200 fine.

The Change Course has been brought to the borough by Safe Exit at Toynbee Hall, a partnership project that aims to improve services for women involved in prostitution, Weavers, and Spitalfields/Banglatown Safer Neighbourhood Teams and the Met's Clubs and Vice Unit.

Course director Ian Caren, a former senior probation officer, will lead the first London course that takes place on July 19th. He has taught similar classes on behalf of other police forces across the country since 2000 in Hampshire, Nottinghamshire, Dorset, Northamptonshire, Avon and Somerset and Norwich.

Nearly 1,500 men have so far participated and re-offending rates have been low at less than 2%.

An evaluation of the course has shown that it is particularly effective amongst those offenders who consider kerb crawling as a consumer right. Safe Exit’s 2007 research ‘It’s just like going to the Supermarket: Men buying sex in East London’ found that this group accounted for over two thirds of men buying sex in East London. Reaching these men by confronting them with the reality of the lives of women in prostitution should prove a real deterrent.

The course is broken into sections covering the real life of women working in street prostitution- the offending cycle, the consequences of this behaviour and planning for the future. Some of the course fee will go towards helping improving the lives of women involved in prostitution, which Safe Exit will coordinate.

Insp Jonathan Davies, Safer Neighbourhood Inspector for Tower Hamlets, said:

“This innovative course gives offenders a chance to change their ways and think about the effect of their behaviour on others. I am also confident that in the long term it will help police reduce the damaging effects of kerb crawling in the local community. The course has established an excellent reputation and has proved effective in preventing re-offending.”

Ellen Armstrong, Coordinator of Safe Exit at Toynbee Hall, said:

“Safe Exit is committed to taking a holistic approach to addressing street prostitution in partnership with voluntary and statutory agencies. This includes developing better services for the women in addition to addressing the demand for prostitution. The Change Course provides a practical, pragmatic way of challenging the attitudes of men buying sex.

At the same time, it’s vital to take into account concerns about the safety of women involved in street prostitution. The majority of the women are vulnerable, have complex needs and are at risk of violence and exploitation. Therefore, we are concurrently developing a Third Party Reporting scheme to encourage women to report offences against them to police to enable greater police intervention against those who perpetrate crimes against this group of women.”

Ian Caren, director of the Change Course, said: "This course attacks the demand for prostitution. The men who attend the course have to look at the real lives of women in prostitution not the images seen in Pretty Woman or Belle de Jour. It makes them think about their future and whether they want to be part of the solution to end prostitution on the streets of Tower Hamlets or continuing to be part of the problem. So far 98% of the men who have attended the course have decided to be part of the solution."

Notes to editors:

Contact: Elli Moody, elli.moody@toynbeehall.org.uk / 020 7392 2930

Safe Exit is an original initiative of Toynbee Hall, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Metropolitan Police and Providence Row Charity. It brings together voluntary and statutory agencies to develop joined-up initiatives to improve services provision for women and to reduce the impact of prostitution on the community. Safe Exits also runs a Diversion Scheme which provides a practical, supportive alternative to the criminal justice system for women who are arrested for these offences in Tower Hamlets.