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Original poster

police chief wants DNA database of men who use prostitutes

69 replies

ISNT · 16/01/2011 17:56

Great idea [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bradford-west-yorkshire-12201907 here]

In theory this seems like a good idea, I'm not sure how it would work in practice though. Prostitutes are at huge risk of all sorts of violent assault and murder, and I'll bet that the men who abuse prostitutes abuse other people in their lives too. This would make finding them and linking cases a lot quicker.

OP posts:
Original poster
ISNT · 17/01/2011 10:16

I don't understand the race tangent at all.

Certain behaviours carry increased risk of other behaviours.

Thinking of how a man who exposes himself will often escalate to much worse sex crimes.

I think the question is, is there a correlation between using prostitutes (a behaviour) and other behaviours which are illegal.

If it turns out that the behaviour of using prostitutes means that you much more likely to be abusive to women, then there is a case, I think.

It would be interesting to see some stats. The men who are in prison for rape and murder - do they know if those men are much more likely than the rest of the population to have used prostitutes? If so, then that's a pretty big deal.

And then of course there is the fact that women in this job are at much higher risk than other women in the population, and that risk comes from the men who use them. So again, what are the figures.

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Beachcomber · 17/01/2011 08:40

Thanks dittany for posting that article.

I'm not too sure how I feel about this one. Let's face it, most men who use prostitutes are engaging in an illegal activity - rape. The majority of prostituted women are coerced or trafficked. The article that dittany posted examines this.

I'm just not sure that this is the correct order/way to go about things.

If it were up to me we would do the same as Sweden and come down like a ton of bricks on all punters and pimps. Buying sex would be illegal with offenders being sanctioned, put on a DNA database and on the sex offenders register.

Without the punters demand and their fucking creepy sense of entitlement there would be no prostitution.

Saltatrix · 17/01/2011 00:04

Taking DNA from people doing an illegal activity (such as kerb crawling) is fine. I can't however agree with taking DNA from people who are doing a legal activity. It will also only be practical if DNA is taken from people invovled with the illegal aspects which surrounds prostitution anyway as they can be arrested.

edam · 16/01/2011 23:34

The police already take the DNA of loads of people - too late on Sunday so can't remember details. But given that happens, I don't see why they can't take the DNA of anyone kerb crawling, for instance.

(Not terribly keen on DNA databases generally but since they do exist, might as well apply them somewhere where they might do some good.)

dittany · 16/01/2011 23:25

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dittany · 16/01/2011 23:21

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BeerTricksPotter · 16/01/2011 23:20

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punterpride · 16/01/2011 23:12

should all muslims be put on a database as after all all terrorists are muslim or would that be considered racist?

punterpride · 16/01/2011 23:10

interesting article from an anti- prostitute activist

www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article2538090.ece

dittany · 16/01/2011 22:59

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dittany · 16/01/2011 22:58

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JaneS · 16/01/2011 22:51

dittany, surely one could find statistics in the UK to tell us to which race most rapists belong?

I think most of us would recoil at the idea of that kind of profiling (?), so why not at this current idea? Why not make an honest campaign, and either say that paying for sex should be something people can't get away with, or seek a better and more accurate way of catching rapists?

FlamingoBingo · 16/01/2011 22:47

What a bizarre post, punterpride! Hmm

dittany · 16/01/2011 22:45

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punterpride · 16/01/2011 22:39

should there be a dna database of pakistani men,after all given recent events of pakistani sex gangs grooming of underage girls and jack straws comments this sounds a good idea or would it be considered racist

FlamingoBingo · 16/01/2011 22:24

Dittany, thanks for posting that article. Just read it all the way through - felt like crying...again!

FlamingoBingo · 16/01/2011 22:12

Now, I think registering men who visit prostitutes would be a good idea, but I'm still not keen on the DNA being taken, just in case.

And I'm honestly not standing up for them - I just can't see how a law will stop men behaving like pricks...and I can see the routine taking of DNA being the thin end of the wedge for a nationwide DNA database.

JaneS · 16/01/2011 22:12

dittany, as far as I'm concerned, it's nothing to do with 'poor old punters being made to feel like rapists'!

The point is, if we imply (as this law would) that men who visit prostitutes are potential rapists, then that erodes any remaining 'taboo' against rape.

If you think how easily people still jump on the defense 'oh, she was wearing a short skirt, she was asking for it', it's not hard to be a cynic and imagine what a law getting men who visited prostitutes to register as rapists, might do. Sad

dittany · 16/01/2011 22:08

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dittany · 16/01/2011 22:07

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FlamingoBingo · 16/01/2011 22:01

ISNT - quite Smile

JaneS · 16/01/2011 21:54

Sorry, ISNT, I did say it was a bad analogy! Blush

What I'm worried about is that people would assume they were guilty before proven innocent, and this would create a society in which there was almost an encouragement to rape, as there'd be little or no additional punishment or taboo, once you paid for sex. Sad

However, as you say it is all theoretical, so perhaps I should save my not-very-formed thoughts for later!

Original poster
ISNT · 16/01/2011 21:43

I know I'm not exactly sure about this. And it's all academic as I really don't think it would be practical and would have undesirable side effects.

I thought it would be interesting to discuss though Smile

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FlamingoBingo · 16/01/2011 21:41

x-post.

FlamingoBingo · 16/01/2011 21:40

I have to agree I feel uncomfortable with this. It feels too much like the idea that all home educators get regularly checked up on just in case 0.001% of them might be using it to hide child abuse. It's just not the right way to stop men raping women and would harm the (ha!) innocent ones more than it would stop the real nasty piece of work.

And yes, yes, I'm aware that men who use prostitutes probably deserve such treatment but, as it's not illegal to visit a prostitute, the idea of bringing in a system like this just doesn't sit easily with me.

And it wouldn't stop rape...they'd just get more crafty. That's the thing with rules. You bring in a rule, and the bastards just work out a way around it, and you have to bring in a new rule until they work out how to get round that one.