Merseyside model

The Merseyside Model Saves Lives – so why is it not being rolled out nationally?

Merseyside hate crime impolite conversation

Published on Impolite Conversation – 8 July 2013

Not making the hate crime approach the national standard for people in prostitution is a hate crime in itself while women are being beaten, raped and murdered as the state looks the other way… If a particular policing approach was known to be achieving a 67% conviction rate for those who rape people in society in general, and yet it was only being used in one part of the country, there would be public uproar… Read the full article on Impolite Conversation here.

In the Booth with Ruth – Alex Bryce, Manager, National Ugly Mugs

Alex Bryce, Manager of National Ugly Mugs (NUM), gives a brilliant and powerful interview, marking the pioneering scheme’s one year anniversary. He talks about NUM, the successes so far and the plans for the future, he gives his thoughts on the Merseyside hate crime model, and he shares personal experiences of dealing with the police when as a teenager he was sexually and physically assaulted, and more recently when he and his partner were wrongfully arrested and assaulted.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

Alex Bryce

How do you feel about the police?

Well, not long before becoming the manager of the National Ugly Mugs (NUM) Scheme I had a particularly bad experience with the police. My partner and I were wrongfully arrested, assaulted and then maliciously prosecuted. Until the CCTV footage was produced at the very last minute (the day of our trial), which completely confirmed our account of events and proved the police officers’ to be largely fabricated, we were faced with the prospect of it being our word against theirs in court – a particularly daunting position to be in. Thankfully, this has been resolved now but it did have a huge impact on our lives and certainly gave me an insight into how difficult it can be fighting the system. If anything, this made me more determined than ever to support sex workers in accessing the criminal justice system.

It might be…

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In the Booth with Ruth – Rosie Campbell, Chair of UK Network of Sex Work Projects (UKNSWP) National Ugly Mugs Advisory Group, Former Coordinator of Armistead Street & Portside, Former Chair of UK Network of Sex Work Projects, PhD Research Student, Durham University

“In Liverpool, over the last ten years, I have worked in a climate and ethos that is progressive in relation to crimes against sex workers…” Rosie Campbell, an expert on the Merseyside hate crime model as a researcher, an outreach worker, support service manager and as an advocate, gives an in depth interview explaining why crimes against people in the sex trade are hate crimes and what needs to be done to ensure people in the sex trade have the human right to “public protection and justice”.

Ruth Jacobs's avatarRuth Jacobs

num

Rosie Campbell is the Chair of UK Network of Sex Work Projects (UKNSWP) National Ugly Mugs Advisory Group, and was formerly the Coordinator of Armistead Street & Portside as well as the former Chair of UK Network of Sex Work Projects. She is currently a PhD Research Student, Durham University.

From the perspective of your many years experience working with people in the sex trade, how do you view the police?

From the research and policy work on sex work that I have been involved with and through UKNSWP working with sex work projects in different parts of the UK, my own experience is that the policing of sex work varies across forces and neighbourhoods. Policing takes place within the same laws and national guidance, but there are differences locally in policing approaches, culture and as part of that the priority that is placed on sex worker safety.

I’ve seen a…

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