Prostitution-linked crimes on Scotland's streets rise for first time in a decade
Crimes related to prostitution on Scotland's streets have increased for the first time in a decade.
Near Glasgow's Barras Market, Barrowlands Ballroom and the quiet streets behind Tennent's Brewery, women stand alone looking for punters who will pay cash for sex.
These are the same streets where Emma Caldwell would stand 20 years ago and also previously the areas frequented by her killer Iain Packer.
Punters in cars pull up and give the nod before cash exchanges hands and a sex act is carried out nearby for as little as £20.
However, despite crimes associated with prostitution having fallen steadily by 81 per cent since 2014, the period of 2023-24 saw a 16 per cent increase, with 72 crimes recorded up from 62 crimes in 2022-23.
The Glasgow City area also saw the highest recorded crimes with 44 per cent in 2023-24 according to the latest Scottish government figures. It comes as Packer was finally brought to justice last year – 19 years after killing Emma.
The Sunday Mail took the streets of Glasgow's east end to gather accounts from current women still selling sex on the streets.
We spoke to one mum, now 42, who began selling sex at just 15, and has worked as a sex worker in the city for 25 years. She said: 'I knew Emma, I was around Duke Street where she was working back then.
'I've been out here since about 1998 when I first tried heroin at 15.
'I don't want to be here but I have to be as I'm addicted to crack and cocaine. There are still guys out looking every night of the week but they want you for as little as £20.
'Emma's name still brings me to tears 20 years later. She didn't deserve what happened to her, she deserved so much better.
'She was a beautiful soul and in some way, we are all like Emma. We are out here because we have to be, not because we want to be. I remember Packer.
"I will have been with him at some point as he was always about then.
" Packer is where he should be but all these years on, the girls are still here, the streets are still not safe but there is money to be made.
"When I was on heroin I would have sold my soul for a tenner.
'The only thing that could save me is jail.
'I'd rather be in prison than here.'
A second woman, who says she knew Emma from the early 2000s, said: 'We all remember Emma. But we are still here doing this because we need to. There's still business or we wouldn't be here.'
A third woman said she had only recently begun selling sex on the streets. She added: 'I'm just new to this, but I'm here because I need the money.'
A Scottish Government spokesperson said:'There is no place for the commercial sexual exploitation of any individual in Scotland.
'We are taking action to support women to sustainably exit from prostitution. This includes our joint work with Police Scotland to implement their new national approach to prostitution, Operation Begonia, where officers signpost women to local support and at the same time, challenge and deter men's demand for prostitution.'
Detective Superintendent Steven Bertram, lead on Prostitution, Police Scotland, said: ' Prostitution brings a significant threat of risk and harm to people and communities.
'People involved in prostitution, most of whom are women, are particularly vulnerable to violence.
' Drug or alcohol related issues, or poverty, can drive people into prostitution, particularly on street.
'Our approach, as demonstrated in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Dundee, focuses on safety and welfare, engaging with people and signposting them to support available from our partners, and hopefully reducing the risk of violence.
'This is about building trust and confidence in policing. It's about safer communities and supported victims. And it's about tackling violence against women and girls in all its forms.'
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