THE POLICE APPROACH... SOFTLY, SOFTLY?

I have a great amount of respect for one former police chief, Keith Hellewell. He expressed a commonly held view that where the industry was free of menaces such as drugs, illegal immigrants, underage girls and underground links - it should be tolerated. He also set down a sensible criteria that I strictly enforced during my time. Of course like all public servants, the police may have their own individual views and opinions but ultimately a higher force governs them.

More recently in Bradford (in the wake of the riots) emerged a new police vice unit that instigated crackdowns on massage parlours. We were extremely sensitive to the need for anonymity within our 75% Asian / Muslim clientele which shrank dramatically during all the hysteria.

Parlours were being publicly drawn out and raided with cameras and journalists present - a real media carnival. Over the last ten years we had forged links with the Bradford Police Force to whom we had always opened our doors. They came in for cups of tea; showing us mug shots of wanted pimps, missing girls etc. Those links became severed forever thanks to the new high profile unit who bullied there way around with their ‘you’re illegal and we can treat you how we want and shut you down if we like’ attitude. Thankfully for whatever reason my own parlours were left alone.

The unit set back parlours twenty years. We now had to ban literature promoting organisations, advice and free healthcare for fear of it being used against us. During these raids the police were using condoms as evidence, which lead some parlours to ban them altogether!

I had an unusual role during this controversial time as a regular media spokesperson for SWEAR working towards legally reforming the industry. Not only did I own what at that time was possibly Bradford’s busiest parlour - which I feared I may lose; I was also an outspoken voice, not against the police specifically but the injustices that were going on.

When the top dog of the new unit went head to head with me in a live radio debate I asked him if we would all be busted. He said not if we were genuine massage parlours. I laughed at him; did he really think some of the parlours did aromatherapy? I had to point out there were many beauty salons and genuine health centres in Bradford but he should know that all of thirty or so parlours that existed were in fact brothels. Did he know this already but didn’t want the public to know? I diplomatically pointed out that some parlour owners were more ethical and apart from the obvious had no desire to break the law.

During the same debate he actually rendered me (almost) speechless, when he asked me did I seriously think that my girls enjoyed working in the parlours and that they really wanted to do it? I merely pointed out that I had made sure all my ladies had made an informed choice to work in a safe and secure environment that I had offered and if we found out they were influenced by drugs or pimps we sacked them instantly (one bad apple etc).

I extended an invitation for him to come and have a look at how a good parlour could be run and how it could be a victimless situation but he became defensive and ended the debate with a brush off. He seemed to adopt the attitude that just being a parlour warranted this unnecessary treatment.

It later transpired that some of the funding for the new squad had come from several local businesses. However we eventually found out that it was given with the intent on cleaning up the street problems in Manningham (as seen on Band of Gold).

The new politically motivated squad had decided to squash us - the soft targets first, in an effort to show fast, dramatic effective ‘results’ to a general public who weren’t convinced that the thousands of pounds they had spent in setting up, had been put to its best use. I still wonder if they even believed in what they were doing or were they just following orders from above?

When parlours are well run, it can be a victimless situation
I prefer to believe that the well-run brothels in this country are only technically illegal and that most of the public would prefer them to be recognised and accountable. During my live media debate, the one thing that I felt strongly was the policeman’s attitude did not reflect the majority of the general public.

When will the police finally going to concentrate their efforts on issues that deeply affect us all – like burglary and muggings?
When will they learn to prioritise protecting vulnerable children and old people?
When will they stop the root of the majority of such problems – drugs?
When will the legal system put away rapists and give out proper sentences for paedophiles?
When will brothels be decriminalised, regulated and taxed in this country?

When will justice come that protects all human life with the same respect?
Frequently when crimes against prostitutes are committed, it is only at the point where an ‘innocent’ person gets hurt, that public reaction is stirred.
Prostitutes are not a species - they are real women.
‘They got what they deserved’ viewpoint; is unacceptable and inhuman.
Prostitutes deserve the right to be treated the same as anyone else; be it whether they are raped or murdered - they are not disposable.

Prostitution has been around since the beginning of time
And it’s here to stay!
It may never be completely morally acceptable,
But until legal reforms take place - the seedier, underground elements continue to breed like vermin.

© 2002

All photography by Charlie Daniels. NB Models were used for this series of photos.