Independent Bedford Escorts

Police have successfully shut down a suspected brothel in Adelaide Square, Bedford, following months of complaints from local residents. The property, located in the Harpur ward, had been causing significant disturbances for neighbors, according to authorities.

On Wednesday, October 16, Luton Magistrates' Court granted a three-month closure order for the property, preventing anyone from entering the premises. Police officers who attended the court hearing cited numerous reports of anti-social behavior and illegal activities taking place at the location.

In a social media post, police expressed satisfaction with the closure, stating that it would provide relief to local residents and businesses who had been affected by the ongoing problems associated with the property

Dan Vajzovic, the National Police Chief Council’s lead for prostitution and sex work, told The Independent he is working alongside government officials to reassess brothel keeping legislation.

Politicians and campaigners said this marks a “milestone moment” as well as a change in approach from the police – arguing overhauling the law could save women’s lives.

Mr Vajzovic, Bedfordshire Police’s temporary deputy chief constable, said present laws mean brothel keeping is an offence even if it is done to “improve their safety”.

Commenting on the police officer’s remarks, Nadia Whittome, Labour MP for Nottingham East, told The Independent: Right now, too many sex workers work alone for fear of prosecution, increasing the risks they face. “Changing the law on brothel keeping so that sex workers could work from the same premise would be an important step in the right direction. 

With an amenedment to the unloved Police Bill in parliament, it could happen that the Nordic model is introduced to England. The Nordic model bans the purchase of sex, while 'decriminilising the escort' The Nordic model will also ban advertising sites. There is a fierce battle building up to fight this amendment, and hopfully amend the police bill to fully decriminilise the sexwork. Many celebrities are supporting the decriminilisation.

A newly-published open letter that calls for MPs to oppose the further criminalisation of sex work in the UK has received 150 signatures, including those of celebrities, activists, and human rights organisations (such as FKA twigs, Amnesty International, and Sisters Uncut), and figures across politics, the media, and academia.

Spearheaded by the UK campaign group Decrim Now, the letter takes aim at legislation that criminalises the purchase of sex — often known as “the Nordic Model” — warning that measures touted as solutions to sex trafficking and exploitation “will only exacerbate violence against women, including those who are being exploited”.

It also encourages politicians to take an evidence-based approach to the sex industry, and to engage with and listen to sex workers. This comes amid repeated attempts to criminalise paying for sex in the UK (including the recent Sexual Exploitation Bill put forward by Labour’s Diana Johnson, which Decrim Now links to the controversial Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill) despite evidence suggesting that the move is likely to prove ineffective, and may have harmful consequences.

“Evidence shows that the Nordic Model does nothing for the very groups it claims to protect,” the letter continues, citing a sharp increase in violence against sex workers after similar legislation was introduced in the Republic of Ireland in 2017. In 2018, the non-profit initiative Ugly Mugs Ireland reported that violent crime against sex workers went up 77 per cent after the ruling came into effect.