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| Thirty 'pop-up brothels' appear in Swindon each week | |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| Up to 30 "pop-up brothels" appear in Swindon each week, police have said. | Up to 30 "pop-up brothels" appear in Swindon each week, police have said. |
| Wiltshire Police said in any one week up to 40 foreign sex workers were advertising their services in the town, the majority of whom were "transient". | Wiltshire Police said in any one week up to 40 foreign sex workers were advertising their services in the town, the majority of whom were "transient". |
| The women use rented properties for between one day and a few weeks before packing up and moving on. | The women use rented properties for between one day and a few weeks before packing up and moving on. |
| Many of the pop-up brothels are linked to organised crime gangs, with women being trafficked from Poland and Romania. | Many of the pop-up brothels are linked to organised crime gangs, with women being trafficked from Poland and Romania. |
| Det Sgt Chris Hitchcock said: "Many of these women move between addresses within the town as well as outside of it. | |
| "Of these 40, we estimate they populate 20 to 30 brothels in short-term to medium-term rental properties." | |
| He added that officers "look to intervene and see if we can offer safeguarding, and see if organised crime is involved, as often as we can". | He added that officers "look to intervene and see if we can offer safeguarding, and see if organised crime is involved, as often as we can". |
| He said the force was currently monitoring a total of between 170 and 190 women involved in sex work "predominantly" in Swindon. | He said the force was currently monitoring a total of between 170 and 190 women involved in sex work "predominantly" in Swindon. |
| A study last year by the Police Foundation found women in pop-up brothels were more likely to be trafficked than in standard brothels. | A study last year by the Police Foundation found women in pop-up brothels were more likely to be trafficked than in standard brothels. |
| The number of reports of suspected brothels in Swindon nearly doubled between 2014 and 2015. | The number of reports of suspected brothels in Swindon nearly doubled between 2014 and 2015. |
| The issue of pop-up brothels moving into residential streets will be investigated as part of BBC Inside Out West at 19:30 GMT on Monday 6 February, and available afterwards on BBC iPlayer. | The issue of pop-up brothels moving into residential streets will be investigated as part of BBC Inside Out West at 19:30 GMT on Monday 6 February, and available afterwards on BBC iPlayer. |