2004-05-21 20:27 Police arrested a total of 59 persons, comprising 51 women and eight men, in a three-phase anti-vice operation mounted in Yau Tsim district which ended yesterday (May 20). The operation, codenamed Firestorm, is mounted against prostitutes and soliciting for an immoral purpose in the streets of Yau Tsim District. About 140 officers from the District Crime Squads and the Special Duty Squads of Yau Tsim District, crime officers from Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui divisions as well as Police Tactical Unit were mobilized in the operation. The operation was also conducted with the support of Immigration Department. The three-phase operation began on May 17 where about 30 police officers were deployed to spot offenders in the streets of Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui. As a result, 11 women were arrested for soliciting for an immoral purpose. The operation continued on May 18 with the support of Immigration Department officers. Among the 140 officers mobilised, a team of nine expatriate officers were deployed with focus on street prostitutes in Tsim Sha Tsui. A total of 38 women were arrested for soliciting for an immoral purpose while two women and two men were arrested for possession of and trafficking in dangerous drugs. The third phase of the operation on May 20 was conducted in locations where female members of the public were reported to be accosted. Plainclothes female officers were deployed to target male customers soliciting for an immoral purpose. Six men, aged between 35 and 71, were arrested as a result. Among the 51 arrested women, aged between 20 and 46, 23 of them were charged respectively with soliciting for an immoral purpose, breach of conditions of stay and possession of dangerous drug. The remaining 28 women were handed over to the Immigration Department. All the arrested men have been released on bail pending further enquiries. A Police spokesman reiterated that operations of such kind would be conducted on a regular basis to stem out any illegal vice-related activities. |