Holbeck residents have been left disgusted after finding out that sex workers have been “shooting up drugs” in a phonebox.
The controversial Managed Approach was introduced in 2014 make sex work safer for women but it soon became controversial among nearby residents and was scrapped in 2021. Some of the complaints include condoms being found discarded on the streets and schoolchildren being approached for sex.
Since the scheme was scrapped, Michael Scott told LeedsLive that the sex workers are still roaming the streets and have even moved into resident areas.
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One of the workers was even found by a neighbour having sex with a man in the dustbin area near his home and they have also been using a phonebox for drugs.
Although there is a dedicated line for them to call and report incidents with sex workers, Michael says it’s not much help.
“They had an area for prostitutes to go,” he said. “It stopped them going to residential areas but now they’re left with nowhere to go so they go to residential areas now. They go to dustbin areas, we found out recently that just the corner near where I live, there’s a telephone box they use to shoot high with drugs, that happens day and night.
“It’s not nice for the kids walking past the post box to go to the primary school which is down the road and seeing that. They don’t give a damn.
“They walk down the road and shout over to you. That's what's happening. The one report I got from one of the residents down the road, she went to empty her bins and she found one of the prostitutes in the bin area having sex.
“I was talking to a neighbour and telling them about them using the phonebox for drugs and they said ‘I know, I come back home from night shifts and they’re there using syringes and waving the cars passing’.”
Michael believes that people from all over are still coming to Holbeck to use sex workers and claims he has called West Yorkshire Police’s dedicated line on a number of occasions but says with the line closing at 11pm, there’s not much they can do. By the time they get through to the non-emergency line, the workers will have moved on.
A spokesperson for the police has said that they take all reports of anti-social behaviour and drug use seriously.
Michael continued: “I’ve been here in Holbeck for 19 years, you know what they’re like, you see them around and get to know them. They’re mostly alcoholics, drug addicts and have mental health problems. They go on the streets to pay for the drugs, they don’t have money they give money to the pimps and the pimps give them drugs it's a vicious cycle.
“My wife was woken up earlier this week and heard a sex worker outside shouting her head off high as anything on drugs, she was shouting at 6am effing this effing that she wasn’t talking to anyone.
“They used to go into the residential areas even when the managed approach was there but at least it could control them better. The police have a direct line for complaints but it finishes at 11 at night, if you have an incident with prostitutes after that you have to ring 101 that takes an hour to get through and by the time you get through they (the sex workers) have gone. If you call 999, you get told its not a crime and to call 101. That’s what we’re up against.”
‘We take all reports of anti-social behaviour and drug use seriously’
A spokesperson for the police said: “We take all reports of anti-social behaviour and drug use seriously, and work in partnership with the council and other agencies in Leeds to address any issues or concerns residents may have.
“Within Holbeck, there is also an On-Street Sex Working team which is run by the Leeds South Neighbourhood Policing Team with support from partners in the local authority to protect potentially vulnerable women and the wider community.
“Regular contact is made with the community to provide updates on the ongoing work being undertaken by the dedicated team through leaflet drops, published articles and local resident meetings to discuss any concerns. The team also have a direct reporting facility, which runs from 7am-11pm every day, which residents can use to report incidents of concern.
“Reports regarding drug use or anti-social behaviour can also be made via the 101LiveChat function on the website or by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.”
‘We continue to encourage residents to report any issue of concern’
A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We have been on a steady but positive trajectory for some years now with regards to how we respond to the complex issue of on-street sex work, and Leeds City Council along with the community safety partnership is committed to continuing to support women to be safer and healthier, and thereby reducing the prevalence of on-street sex working as well as addressing associated community concerns such as kerb-crawling, litter, and anti-social behaviour incidents.
“There have been some significant results in terms of a reduction of Class A drugs, and disruption of those responsible for selling them in the area. The intention here has been to disrupt this trade and take appropriate action against those who facilitate this, and in turn, to make it easier for partners to encourage the women to seek the help and assistance they need with drug treatment.
“We have a dedicated Police team which, working in partnership with others, continues to address issues associated with on-street sex work and this is supported by the comprehensive CCTV coverage, and the deployment of uniformed Safer Leeds officers into the area, as well as ASB and street cleansing support.
“We will continue to keep all matters under review in line with our aim to be intelligence-led and to evolve our approach to ensure we are continuing to support vulnerable women in the local community in which on-street sex work takes place. To support the work taking place, we continue to encourage residents to report any issue of concern seen in relation to kerb-crawling to the police.”
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