Police Warning Over New Sex Law

Senior police officers have warned that Scottish legislation to tackle kerb crawling will be virtually ineffective. They have written to MSPs saying that, without significant re-drafting, many men trying to buy sex on the street will continue to escape prosecution. The new Prostitution Bill is intended to prosecute people who buy sexual services in the same way as it does prostitutes.

The Scottish Executive rejected the criticism of the bill.

The offence, applying to both parties, changes from soliciting for sex to causing public nuisance or offence. However, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpos) said that unless the definition of kerb crawling was tightened up, men cruising red light areas would escape prosecution.

They also warned that the need for corroboration in Scots law made it difficult to prove a transaction had taken place, again allowing the purchaser to escape the law.