Lord Morrow wants to criminalise men who pay prostitutes for sex

MLAs will today debate a Bill which, if passed, will see men who purchase sex criminalised instead of those who sell it.

The Bill, based on a Swedish law enacted almost 15 years ago which criminalises anyone who pays for sex, is being brought before the Stormont Assembly by Lord Morrow.

The PSNI said it did not support the “liberalisation” of prostitution laws.

Assistant Chief Constable Drew Harris said the PSNI wanted to find an alternative to tackling prostitution and human trafficking.

He said police were “striving’ to find better ways to tackle the serious problem of prostitution and human trafficking and were keen to be part of the wider “societal debate about how they could collectively minimise harm caused by prostitution.

He added: “The PSNI position is clear in that we do not support the liberalisation of laws in relation to prostitution,” Mr Harris said.

He added the PSNI had worked closely with the Department of Justice in giving its views on Lord Morrow’s Bill and was satisfied its comments would be taken on board in any future legislation.

However, he said, having provided input to the consultation, the PSNI would respect the role of the Assembly and would be ready to fulfil its responsibility regarding enforcement of any new legislation passed by the Assembly.”