Police brothel raids target organisers, not sex workers
BBCPolice Scotland has targeted a number of suspected brothels across Stirling and Falkirk as part of a national strategy to address prostitution and sexual exploitation.
The BBC was given exclusive access to a raid and witnessed officers simultaneously entering a business and a flat where they carried out searches and seized items.
Officers have also undertaken welfare visits to speak to people they believe are involved in prostitution, and police staff with expertise in human trafficking were also involved.
The raids are part of Operation Begonia, which is aimed at cracking down on the sex trade in Scotland.
The operations focus on offering advice and support to those involved in sex work, at the same time as catching criminals in charge of the networks.
They were driven in part by an increasing number of adverts for sexual services across the Forth Valley.
Our team was given exclusive access to one of the raids at a ground floor flat in Stirling on Friday.
Officers executing a search warrant would usually break down the door but they told us they were taking a more sensitive approach because they often find vulnerable women inside these addresses.
Adopting the same approach as they would for a raid concerning drugs or weapons can leave the women "terrified".
No battering ram or riot shields were used. Detectives knocked and shouted three times before a local locksmith quickly removed the locks to gain entry.
They moved in fast, finding a woman inside who had recently arrived in the UK. Officers used a police translation phone service to offer her advice and support. They also seized documents and phones.
Police staff with expertise in human trafficking were part of the group, although they don't believe the woman in this flat had been trafficked.
At the same time, their police colleagues descended on a business in Falkirk. The searches were intelligence-led and the properties are thought to be linked.
No arrests were made on this occasion.
Det Insp Forbes Wilson who led Friday's operation told BBC Scotland News the "landscape" for prostitution across Scotland had changed.
"Gone are the days where off-street prostitution is just occurring in the bigger cities. It's happening today, it's happening within the towns, the villages and the communities in Forth Valley," he said.
The operation is being run with Crimestoppers, the independent charity that allows people to confidentially pass on information about wrongdoing.
Det Supt Michelle Findlay said: "I think if people feel that they can report anonymously, then it'll give them the confidence to fill in the intelligence gaps that we need, and ultimately let us know about the perpetrators out there that are committing crimes and coercing women and girls to work in prostitution and commercial sexual exploitation."
Support charities are also involved with the operation, offering help to people involved in prostitution.
Angela Barron from Forth Valley Rape Crisis said: "There is exploitation, there is trafficking, there is potentially added vulnerability through being involved in sex work.
"And what I would want to say to any survivors is that their experience of sexual violence is valid, however, that has happened and our workers are here to support them if this service is one that they want to access."
Police targeted 14 suspected brothels in total last week.
Operation Begonia began being rolled out across the country last April, after a successful pilot scheme in Aberdeen.
Begonia targets kerb crawlers and people involved in street prostitution as well as suspected brothels.
Working out exactly how many people are involved in prostitution in Scotland is not easy.
A Scottish Parliament briefing from 2025 estimated that between 6,000 and 8,000 individuals may be involved in prostitution in Scotland, a figure extrapolated from UK-wide estimates.
The briefing says more than 90% of those are women.
Last month, MSPs rejected proposed legislation that would have criminalised the act of paying for sex.
The Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill, tabled by independent MSP Ash Regan, would have created a criminal offence of paying for sexual services and called for the repeal of the existing offence of soliciting.
