Prostitution: already a hundred arrests

Long awaited, the new provincial anti-pimping squad has made around 100 arrests across Quebec in its first year of existence.

• Read also: Police could be deprived of a tool to hunt down sexual predators

• Read also: Operation Scorpion: 20 years later, the scourge still exists

Twenty years after Operation Scorpion, which marked the collective imagination, the authorities now have the resources to work more effectively in all regions of Quebec.

“In the first year, we did not expect to stop so many. I think that pimps are more numerous today, ”says captain Karine Lacroix, head of the integrated team to fight against pimping (EILP) at the Sûreté du Québec.

In 2021, Minister Geneviève Guilbault and Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette announced nearly $100 million over five years, in particular to detect and suppress sexual exploitation and bring “predators” to justice.

In court

The government thus wished to strengthen the capacity for action of the EILP, which celebrated its first year of existence on 1^er last October. Out of a hundred arrests, there are also clients.

“We have been involved in more than 200 pimping cases in the past year. We also met with 200 victims, of whom 121 victims decided to file complaints. It’s not trivial, ”explains the policewoman.

This rate of judicialization is not to be neglected considering the fact that many fragile victims do not want to face the courts.

If social networks represent the gateway to recruitment, popular web justice has never sent a pimp behind bars.

A positive balance sheet

The squad’s objective is simple: protect victims, help them get out of pimping, guide them to the right resources and support them in the legal process.

Originally from Montmagny, Karine Lacroix has 28 years of experience. According to her, it was absolutely necessary to show what has been done in the last year.

The victims, who are not necessarily younger than before, are still traveling from province to province, and from region to region.

A young girl from Saguenay can go to Baie-Comeau and Sept-Îles, before crossing to Rimouski to make other clients. High mobility is still used to isolate victims and cover their tracks.

“It’s not just in town. We now have proof. It’s everywhere. We must show the reality of pimping in 2022. This can allow parents to direct their actions to raise awareness among their young people. »

Karine Lacroix is ​​particularly proud of the Les Survivantes program, in which former victims collaborate on new interventions. In total, 19 men and women assist the police during often painful encounters.

“The profile is important and we try to assign the right person. They are living proof that it is possible to leave the industry. We also have to make them realize that this is not normal,” concludes Captain Lacroix.

Several customers were also handcuffed

With the pandemic waning, at least 27 customers were arrested in four special operations carried out in three major urban centers.

“Between April and September, we carried out four operations targeting clients. In Montreal twice, in Quebec and in Gatineau. We arrested 27 clients who were going in their minds to meet a 16-year-old victim. You have to attack on all axes, ”says Karine Lacroix.

Criminologist Maria Mourani, who co-signs the book Operation Scorpion: The underside of the largest investigation into child prostitution in Quebec, also believes that it is necessary to target customers more.

Legally, however, this strategy is not straightforward since the accused also have rights. The Supreme Court is currently considering four Ontario cases, in which defendants allege entrapment (training).

“The main player in the system is the customer. The prostitute. This is the weak link in this fight against procuring. You have to hit as hard as the pimps, ”explains M^me Mourani, who wants greater use of wiretapping, spinning and other means available to stem the scourge.

Taken seriously

For the ex-investigator Roger Ferland, also author of the book on Scorpion, the very existence of the EILP is excellent news.

“People are always taken seriously and investigations are carried out by competent personnel. It has to continue and they are here to stay. Then, the more customers we arrest, the more efficient we will be. We also have to do prevention,” he says.

In the community sector, the situation is also positive.

“EILP investigators have a lot of know-how, empathy and delicacy. Do not harm the victim and choose the right moment. Their collaboration is currently very effective,” concludes Geneviève Quinty, director of the Quebec Prostitution Intervention Project (PIPQ).

♦ The Integrated Pimping Squad leads the fight against pimping, human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and child prostitution. The EILP is made up of seven police forces: the SPVM, the SPVQ, the Service de police de Laval, that of Gatineau, that of Longueuil, the RCMP and the SQ.