Police neutralized four vice syndicates

Police neutralized four vice syndicates following the arrest of 16 persons, including four syndicate members, in an anti-vice operation codenamed "Giantswinger" turned overt today (June 14).

Following extensive investigations, officers of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau identified and targeted the vice syndicates. Investigations revealed that the syndicates partitioned some residential units into rooms and rented them out for prostitution activities. The syndicates also advertised on websites for prostitutes in order to earn the advertising fees.

Conducted between March and June this year, the operation turned overt today and a total of eleven locations across the territory were raided which led to the total arrest of 16 persons including 15 men and one woman, aged bewteen 22 and 61. Among them, one was the person-in-charge and 14 were the staff members of five websites while the other four were the members of four vice syndicates who rented out the residential units for prostitution.

During the operation, Police had seized 14 computers and nine servers for further investigation.

A police spokesman reiterated that according to Crimes Ordinance, any person being the tenant or occupier, or person-in-charge, of any premises permits or suffers the whole or part of the premises to be used for the purposes of habitual prostituion shall be liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for seven years. Any person who knowingly lives wholly or in part on the earnings of prostitution of another shall be liable on conviction or indictment to imprisonment for ten years.

Meanwhile, any person who publicly displays, or causes or permits the public display of the services of a prostitute shall be guilty of an offence.

All the 16 persons arrested are being detained pending further enquiries.


Police Report No.3
Issued by PPRB

End/Thursday, June 14, 2007