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Kate McGrew. Photo: Arthur Carron Before Covid, there were about 800 people in the industry advertising online. This dropped to 255 in the first few month of the pandemic. Now it s back up to 600 adverts online, Detective Superintendent Derek Maguire, head of the new Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit (OPIU) within the Garda National Bureau of Protective Services (GNPSB), tells the Sunday Independent. At the start of Covid, there was a huge drop. Then it began to pick up again in the summer. Now it is really coming back, despite Level 5 restrictions. People working in prostitution were without a living for a long time.
The establishment of a prostitution investigation unit only tasks gardaí further with the enforcement of laws that are “dangerous” for sex workers, an activist group has said.The Garda National
New Garda unit established to target organised prostitution
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The Garda National Protective Services Bureau has formally established Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit, to police all aspects of organised criminality within the sex trade, including the enforcement of legislation criminalising the purchase of sexual services.
The Organised Prostitution Investigation Unit, formally known as and operating as Operation Quest is attached to the Garda National Protective Services Bureau, under Assistant Commissioner, Organised and Serious Crime based at Harcourt Square. The establishment of this specialised unit reinforces An Garda Síochána’s commitment to protecting vulnerable persons, including victims of human trafficking involved in prostitution in Ireland, a Garda Press statement read.