Red Deer City RCMP, with the assistance of several other units, conducted a project which focused on locating and arresting escorts, street workers and their customers last week.
In total, nine escorts, seven street workers and nine alleged customers were arrested.
All of the escorts and street workers who were arrested met with the K Division KARE Unit and Red Deer Domestic Violence Unit to provide safety planning and counselling.
Charges are pending against all nine customers who were arrested. In each case their vehicle was seized under Section 173.1 of the Traffic Safety Act and may be forfeited to the Crown.
An unintended outcome of this project was the identification of three foreign nationals — one of which had an expired visitor’s visa.
The units involved included Red Deer General Investigation Services, Red Deer Street team, Red Deer Community Response Unit, Red Deer Domestic Violence Unit, ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team), KARE and CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency).