Hundreds of kerb crawlers have been caught trawling red-light districts in a major vice crackdown. Police Scotland said it has charged 59 men and warned another 206 in the blitz which involved more than 150 patrols.
While paying for sex is legal in Scotland, so-called “associated activities” such as brothel keeping and kerb crawling are outlawed. Police have not disclosed the specific offences the men were charged with.
The major swoop came as part of Operation Begonia, the force’s war on Scotland’s sex trade targeting illegal brothels – many run by ruthless organised crime gangs linked to trafficking vulnerable women and girls.
The initiative also aims to support vulnerable women involved in sex work, with officers having engaged with almost 300 sex workers and referred 86 to specialist support services. More than 430 intelligence reports were logged.
Chief Constable Jo Farrell said: “Our approach to on-street prostitution focuses on targeted action to signpost women to support while deterring kerb crawling.
“Prostitution is a form of violence against women and girls and our approach seeks to build trust and confidence in policing, while making communities safer and supporting victims.”
View 2 ImagesPolice Scotland Chief Constable Jo Farrell
Operation Begonia forms part of Police Scotland’s wider “Response to Violence Against Women and Girls strategy”.
It began in April last year after a successful pilot in Aberdeen, followed by Glasgow and Dundee, targeting kerb crawlers, street sex workers and suspected brothels in areas where on-street prostitution remains an issue.
According to a Scottish Parliament briefing in 2025, there were an estimated 6000-8000 people working in the sex trade – more than 90 per cent being women.
Detective Superintendent Steven Bertram said: “People involved in prostitution, most of whom are women, are particularly vulnerable to violence. Drug or alcohol-related issues, or poverty, can drive people into prostitution, particularly on the street.
“Our approach focuses on safety and welfare, engaging with people and signposting them to support available from our partners, and reducing the risk of violence.”
He added: “This is about building trust and confidence in policing. It’s about safer communities and supported victims. And it’s about tackling violence against women and girls in all its forms.”
Police have warned sex buyers the crackdown will continue, amid efforts to target those involved in illegal activity linked to prostitution. They are also targeting the underground trafficking pipeline bringing vulnerable Vietnamese women and kids into Scotland.
A force report states: “Areas of focus include supporting women to exit prostitution and encourage engagement with criminal justice partners to pursue men who purchase sex illegally.
“Effectively pursue perpetrators of rape and sexual crime and work with partners to support women in a trauma informed and victim centred way to engage with the criminal justice process.”
It added that it was necessary to “develop a greater understanding of the drivers for Vietnamese women and children’s migration to Scotland with the intention to effectively pursue and deter those involved in their trafficking and exploitation”.