Police withdraw call to ban 'sexual items' from Edinburgh saunas
(about 3 hours later)
Police want condoms banned from Edinburgh's licensed saunas.
Police Scotland has withdrawn calls for a ban on items of a sexual nature in Edinburgh's licensed saunas.
Police Scotland has written to the city council arguing that if it grants licences for five saunas it should be on condition that no items of a sexual nature are allowed on the premises.
The force had written to councillors asking that licences should only be granted on the condition that such items were not allowed on the premises.
Sex workers' charity Scot-pep has condemned the police proposal saying it could lead to an HIV epidemic.
Safe sex campaigners were angered by the move, which they said would mean a ban on condoms in the city's saunas.
A council decision on new licence rules could end Edinburgh's more tolerant attitude to the sex trade.
However, the force has now withdrawn that condition from its recommendations to the council committee.
NHS Lothian supplies 130,000 free condoms to Edinburgh's licensed saunas every year.
And Supt Matt Richards stressed that Police Scotland did not advocate the banning of condoms.
Campaigners for a safer sex trade have said that any ban on condoms would not stop people having sex but it would result in unprotected sex and higher rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.
He said: "At no point do the recommendations make reference to the banning of condoms. Police Scotland absolutely supports proper measures to protect sexual health.
"The issue of prostitution is a complex one and we work with the City of Edinburgh Council and local health services to ensure the safety of those involved in the sex trade."
He said it was up to the council's regulatory committee to decide which conditions were applied.
Licenses granted
"We will continue to adopt a practical and positive stance towards harm reduction working with our partners in the health service local authority and third sector," he said.
Councillors granted new licenses to five of 13 city saunas.
They are due to decide in private later whether the remaining eight saunas are also to be granted new licenses.
Earlier this year, six other saunas had their licences suspended following raids across Edinburgh.
Earlier this year, six other saunas had their licences suspended following raids across Edinburgh.
Nadine Stott, a board member of the charity Scot-Pep, which campaigns for the rights of sex workers, said: "This goes against all basic common sense. It also places Scotland really out of step with the rest of the world.
NHS Lothian supplies 130,000 free condoms to Edinburgh's licensed saunas every year.
"The World Health Organisation (WHO) just last week released guidelines on sex workers and HIV that specifically stated where countries use condoms as evidence of sex work that should be stopped immediately."
Safe sex campaigners feared the police's original recommendations would have led to a ban on condoms in saunas.
She added: "We are really shocked that, in private, the police have been quite clear to us. They said that the policy (on saunas) wasn't changing.
Nadine Stott, a board member of the charity Scot-Pep, which campaigns for the rights of sex workers, said such a move would have "gone against all basic common sense".
"We think this highlights how inappropriate the police are as a regulatory body of sex workers in a criminal context."
Public entertainment
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Police Scotland recently provided reports to the Council Regulatory Committee in respect of a number of public entertainment licence renewals.
"In cases where there was evidence of criminality or premises operating out-with the conditions of their licence, objections were made to those licences being renewed.
"Police Scotland will continue to work with partners to inspect and report on licensed premises operating within Edinburgh in order to keep people safe.
"Whenever criminal activity, or licensing contraventions are detected within these venues, officers will respond appropriately and report all offences to the relevant authority."
'Own goal'
Prof Alison McCallum, NHS Lothian's director of public health, said: "For many years, we have provided sexual health services, mental health services, hepatitis immunisations and drug and alcohol support in accessible clinics for sex workers.
"Over the last year this has involved more than 300 consultations with women.
"We promote safe sex and awareness of infections amongst sex workers.
"Condom use is always advised and condoms are made freely available."
Deborah Jack, chief executive of National AIDS Trust, said: "Making condoms a reason to lose a sauna licence will not stop sex, it will stop safer sex and put at risk often very vulnerable people.
"Edinburgh led the way in the early years of HIV in harm reduction, pioneering clean needle programmes in the UK for people who use drugs and halting the spread of HIV in that community.
"We urge the city now to remember that proud heritage and not penalise condom use.
"It would be the worst sort of public health own goal."
Grant Sugden, chief executive of Waverley Care, which is a charity giving support to people living with HIV and/or Hepatitis C, said: "These proposals are a step back in time and they will be hugely detrimental to public health, damaging the valuable work carried out by charities and organisations in Edinburgh around safer sex and the prevention of STIs and HIV.
"Condoms are an extremely effective way of preventing HIV and STIs and these proposals will only put more people at risk."
