Sam Thompson

Brandon prostitution crackdown focused on buyers, not sellers, police say

Police in Winnipeg say they have arrested 32 men in a sexual exploitation crackdown.

After a string of prostitution arrests in Brandon, Man., police in the Wheat City say the focus of these operations is always on those trying to buy sexual services — not those who are selling them.

The crackdown on prostitution — dubbed Project Blockade — was a joint initiative of Brandon police, Winnipeg police and Manitoba RCMP.

Over a two-day period, Brandon police arrested 21 men between the ages of 21 and 66 for trying to pay for sex either online or in person.

"We're not looking to punish the person selling it, because we realize they're usually in a position of vulnerability," Sgt. Dana McCallum told 680 CJOB's The Start.

"The one that's doing the purchasing is someone that's taking advantage of them."

McCallum said online sexual exploitation — one facet of the operation — is becoming more common, and just because it may not be visible on city streets, it's still happening behind closed doors.

"We're still seeing … it happening out in the open, but there's a lot more of the online piece. With technology now, things have advanced in different ways to look at obtaining those services online, so we have to be more creative in our ways to detect it."

Nine vehicles were also seized during the arrests, and all of the accused will appear in court in November.

When it comes to charges, McCallum said it often depends on whether or not the accused is a first-time offender.

"If, by chance, they are (first-time offenders), they do have the option to go through a prostitution offender program and learn about sexual exploitation and the impact it does have on communities," she said.

"If they have been charged with this type of offence before, they would just appear before the court and a judge would decide their fate."