A "heavy-handed" police crackdown on sex workers in South Australia is only serving to push the industry further underground, the Sex Industry Network (SIN) says.

Key points: Concerns have been raised following a police crackdown on sex workers in SA

Concerns have been raised following a police crackdown on sex workers in SA SA Police have laid more than 200 charges in the last financial year

SA Police have laid more than 200 charges in the last financial year SIN manager says it is pushing the industry "further underground"

Figures show South Australian police used its powers to "enter a suspected brothel" 176 times in the past financial year, resulting in more than 200 charges being laid.

SIN manager Sharon Jennings said raids and arrests in Adelaide brothels had started "overnight" between two and three years ago.

"All of a sudden brothels started getting raided and closed down," she said.

"Before that we pretty much self regulated, sex workers have always been discreet, it's the cornerstone of our industry.

"It's really pushed the work underground, especially when collaboratives and brothels are being closed down and sex workers have gone out working on their own rather than working in these safer environments where there is safety in numbers."

She said those in the industry still didn't understand the heavy-handed approach by police and it had made sex workers feel more isolated.

"This is sex between two consenting adults, and yes there's a discussion about doing it safely and there's discussion about the cost, the implication of it," she said.

"But it's just sex, it's behind closed doors, nobody sees it, it doesn't bother anybody, why is this a crime?

"It's been a really frightening, terrible time for sex workers and it's certainly not stopped us working, it won't and it can't stop us working.

"It's just made us more displaced, more frightened and more fearful of the police which is the scariest thing.

"I don't think that policing necessarily has to be punitive, it's about relationship building as well and the police have found for decades that the police have worked much better with us than against us."

SIN general manager Sharon Jennings said the increased number of police raids had made sex workers feel more isolated. ( stock.xchng: Bella )

A spokesperson from SA Police said its Licensing Enforcement Branch had "a statewide responsibility for providing a specialist resource for the policing of the South Australian sex industry".

"SA Police will not comment on our methodology on policing brothels," the spokesperson said.

"However it should be noted that SAPOL are responsible for the enforcement of the state's laws as they stand."

In South Australia, it is illegal to operate a brothel or solicit for the purposes of sex work.

A total of 211 charges laid

"The charge of keeping a brothel accounted for nearly half (98) of the 211 offences, with receiving money in a paid brothel accounting for a further 74 offences," the spokesperson said.

"The offence of being on a premises frequented by prostitutes accounts for 24 of the remaining 39 offences.

"A further 11 offences relate to money laundering."

Last month South Australian Attorney-General Vickie Chapman said she would sponsor a bill to decriminalise sex work when it came to the state's Lower House.

At the time Ms Chapman said concerns around further encouraging sex workers in areas where sex work is prevalent — including Hanson Road in Woodville Gardens — was not justified.

"It's wall-to-wall services down there anyway," she said.

"It's not as though that sort of precinct, that they're using as an example, isn't a precinct where these services are offered.

"What I'm concerned about is the co-location of services, particularly the offering of them from a street or car near a service that involves children or causes concern near a church."