Cllr Udall is worried about the safety of sex workers across West Mercia. He is concerned that the police often see sex workers as criminals, where the police have accused escorts from running brothels when they have been working together in hotels rooms for safety. A freedom of information request shows that there has been a rise in crimes related to sex work over the years. These show a rise in the number of crimes related to sex work from 95 in 2018 to 159 in 2019, 187 in 2020, 214 in 2021 and 157 from August 31 to the end of 2022.
Cllr Udall says he became aware of the police attitude, when he was contacted by some sex workers. The sex workers had contacted police for help and were treated as potential criminals rather than victims of a crime.