Policing vice in the West End

The aim of this article is to discuss operational difficulties of West End policing, in particular those pertaining to female prostitution, whilst also drawing up lessons for operational research and systems methodologies, in this ‘real-world’ context, through practical application of such approaches. A systemic analysis is briefly presented, and the findings of this in terms of (a) methodological reflections, and (b) ways forward in the situation, are discussed.