Tuesday, March 15th, 2016
Project CREATE
In 2013 Winnipeg Police Chief Devon Clunis announced the Winnipeg Police Service’s new strategy in relation to sex trade activity in the City of Winnipeg.
In the most recent phase of this on-going project, the Counter Exploitation Unit (CEU) in collaboration with Community Support members from Divisions 11 and 13 ran the CREATE initiative between March 7th-11th, 2016, resulting in the following statistics:
Enforcement:
Ten men, ranging in age from 21-57 years, were arrested for Obtaining Sexual Services for Consideration. In addition, eight vehicles were seized under the Highway Traffic Act.
Five adult males were cautioned by officers for frequenting areas in the city that are known for sexual exploitation. These men were provided with information through the Salvation Army’s Reality Check program.
http://salvationist.ca/2015/12/winnipeg-initiative-targets-sex-trade/
Interventions:
During the project, a total of 22 adult women believed to be engaged in the sex trade were interviewed by officers, and in these cases it was determined that there was little or no degree of exploitation taking place. Officers offered various levels of community supports to the women who were interviewed. These interventions took place in local body rub parlours, hotels, and at the street level.
Public Awareness:
In keeping with the public awareness portion of the strategy, members of the CEU have been proactively working with various local hotels in an effort to identify suspected cases of Human Trafficking or sexual exploitation that might be taking place at these locations.
In conjunction with project CREATE, officers conducted on-site visits at eight local hotels that had been previously identified as having escort-related activity. Officers provided staff at these locations with information relating to Human Trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The Counter Exploitation Unit and our Uniform Operational Divisions are committed to addressing community concerns related to the visible sex trade and working toward sustainable solutions and creating a culture of safety.
Everyone has a role to play in helping to address this issue. If you have information regarding sex trade issues in your community, please contact the Counter Exploitation Unit at 204-986-3464. You can also fill out the online Prostitution Complaint Form by visiting the Winnipeg Police Service website at www.winnipeg.ca/police
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