Statement: Urgent Demand for Transparency and Protection of London’s Street‑Based Sex Workers

We are deeply concerned by the Met Police’s handling of the case in which Carmenza Valencia-Trujillo and Sheryl Wilkins were murdered by known predator, Simon Levy.

We call on the Metropolitan Police to conduct a full, transparent investigation into how their deaths were allowed to happen, and why Carmenza’s killing was not initially treated as murder.

We are also asking the Met Police to explain what dedicated resources and measures are now in place to protect London’s street-based sex workers. This is particularly urgent given that Project Evergreen, the Met Police’s pan-London strategy to improve sex worker safety, and Operation Boxter, a Met Police initiative working with agencies supporting people selling sex on the streets of Enfield, were both disbanded in 2023.

The Met Police must prioritise equipping officers with the knowledge, training, and confidence to offer protection and support, rather than penalising those who are already at heightened risk.

Prejudices and outdated views cannot be allowed to persist within a police force responsible for safeguarding all members of the public.