Police to exclude buyers from investigation into prostitution ring

Police in the city of Salo in the southwest of Finland say that they will not investigate possible criminal action by buyers of sex services in connection with a major prostitution case concerning the Motel Syvälampi.
      The line taken by the police can be considered important, as it is one of the first police investigations into procurement since a new law, which criminalises the purchase of sex services under certain conditions, has been in effect.
      The law, which took effect in October, makes it a crime to knowingly buy sex services from victims of pimping or trafficking in humans. The government originally proposed a bill that would have followed the line taken by Sweden, and criminalised all sex purchases.
     
Salo police suspect five people of involvement in aggravated procurement at the Motel Syvälampi last year. The motel was raided on December 8th, at which time six middle-aged male customers were also detained.
      Some of them were caught in the act, and one customer tried to hide under a bed.
      "We have preliminarily thought not to fine any of them", says Pertti Läksy of the Salo police.
      "The legislation encourages police to eliminate these kinds of small matters from the investigation, and to concentrate on what is important - in this case, aggravated procurement. For that reason I have felt that it is not sensible to take come down very heavily on buying sex this time around", Läksy explains.
      He noted that the preliminary investigation is still going on, and that the police can reverse the decision, if necessary.
     
The chairwoman of the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, Tuija Brax (Green) reacted with disbelief upon hearing from Helsingin Sanomat what the intentions of the Salo police were.
      As a legislator, she nevertheless refused to comment directly on the ongoing police investigation.
      "However, the Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee specifically noted that customers would be likely to be revealed in police investigations into procurement, aggravated procurement, and trafficking in humans. Parliament passed the committee’s report by an overwhelming majority", Brax pointed out.
      "It is very serious if a different interpretation emerges than the one set out by Parliament."
     
Much of Finland’s sex trade takes place in Helsinki. Police in the Finnish capital have not yet started any prostitution investigations during the months that the new law has been on the books.
      "When a procurement or human trafficking case comes that is appropriate, so to speak, then we will go through the clientele in retrsospect. Such a situation will eventually come", says Kari Tolvanen of the Helsinki police.
      He also fears that the investigation of crimes involving prostitution will become more difficult once the clients become suspects, and not just witnesses.
      "The danger is that they will not say anything about a matter in which they might face prosecution themselves.
      In Salo, Pertti Läksy does not believe that the investigation into the Syvälampi case would be any more difficult even if the buyers of sex faced prosecution.
      "They have already said what they have said."


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Amended prostitution bill likely to pass (9.6.2006)
  Dispute over criminalisation of buying sex to be settled today (8.6.2006)
  Criminalisation of buying sex does not scare away regular clients (7.4.2006)
  Estonia also considering criminalisation of purchase of sex (9.1.2006)
  Purchase of sex services could soon lead to imprisonment (16.12.2005)
  Justice Ministry to propose criminalisation of buying sex (14.11.2005)
  Parliament approves content of bill criminalising sex purchases (19.6.2006)
  Skinny compromise on ban on buying sex services (Editorial, 10.6.2006)