End An Garda Síochána Politicking on Sex Work

We call on Garda Commissioner Drew Harris to direct An Garda Síochána’s Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit to desist from engaging in politicking in regard to legislation around sex work, in particular by speaking at the ‘A Model for Scotland’ lobbying event on 23 February 2022.

‘A Model for Scotland’ is a lobby group calling for a new legislative framework around sex work in Scotland. Central to their campaign is seeking new laws that will further criminalise sex work (A Model for Scotland, 2022). These new laws are somewhat similar to legislation in place in Ireland, most recently updated in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017.

We note with dismay that it has been announced that the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit of An Garda Síochána will speak at a ‘A Model for Scotland’ lobbying event on 23 February 2022. This can only be interpreted as Gardaí giving support to the ‘A Model for Scotland’ political campaign to further criminalise sex work.

All members of An Garda Síochána are required to act impartially. Since the foundation of An Garda Síochána members of the force have been prohibited from getting involved in politics. An Garda Síochána should not be attempting to influence policy around sex work in Scotland. It is wholly inappropriate for An Garda Síochána to be taking part in political lobbying of the Scottish Government.

Since sex work was further criminalised in Ireland through the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017, crime against people in sex work has increased by 91% and violent crime specifically has increased by 92% (Campbell et al, 2020). Just last month Amnesty International published an extensive research report showing how the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act 2017 has facilitated the targeting and abuse of sex workers, and how the state is failing to protect them from violence (Amnesty International, 2022). This research also uncovered a profound lack of trust in the Gardaí among sex workers, one consequence of which is sex workers do not feel able to report crime to Gardaí. We further note that the individual Garda officer who is scheduled to speak at this upcoming A Model for Scotland lobbying event is an officer who has been presented to sex workers as a 'sex worker liaison officer' and this has further deepened the mistrust that sex workers have in the Gardaí. An Garda Síochána has failed to address any of the serious issues around their policing of sex work in Ireland in any way. There is great concern that if sex work is further criminalised in Scotland, as A Model for Scotland are campaigning for, it will lead to huge harms.

Whatever your views on sex work, it is highly inappropriate for An Garda Síochána to appear as part of a lobby group that seeks to further criminalise sex work in Scotland. An Garda Síochána is an apolitical organisation and all members are aware of this, but the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit appears to have become so politicised that it is ignoring this and participating in political lobbying. Anyone with concern for democratic process has to be disturbed by this development.

Since the foundation of An Garda Síochána in 1922 there has been a history of An Garda Síochána abusing their office, power and trust to ill-treat so perceived ‘fallen women’. For a few examples we note the role of An Garda Síochána in keeping women in Magdalene Laundries (Department of Justice and Equality, 2013), the ‘Kerry babies’ case (McCafferty, 1985), and more recently clear cases of abuse of power for sexual gain targeted at sex workers (Cusack, 2015). This latest blatant politicising around sex work by the Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit is deeply disturbing and we call on the Commissioner to act to halt it.