17 officers face trial in 'Sin City' cleanup

Thirty-six policemen have been disciplined for dereliction of duty following the crackdown last year on prostitution in Dongguan－dubbed "Sin City"－in South China's Guangdong province.

According to the Public Security Ministry, 17 of the policemen now face trial. The ministry pointed out that some Party officials and policemen provided cover for the offenders, as well as hiring prostitutes themselves.

Police in Guangdong launched a months long crackdown on the sex industry across the province last February. More than 3,000 suspects were arrested. Yan Xiaokang, Dongguan's deputy mayor and police chief, was fired and 10 other senior police officers have been given a range of punishments.

As of Dec 15, the province had arrested 3,014 people and more than 5,000 others had been detained.

Some local policemen were found leaking information about anti-vice operations to offenders, and the ministry sent police forces from other prefectures to perform their duties.

Revenue from entertainment is a major income for local government. Nearly 70 percent of the entertainment venues closed by police in the city have been allowed to reopen after the anti-vice raid.

They include 631 foot massage centers, 465 karaoke bars and 38 saunas, according to the Public Security Department in Guangdong.

Since mid-October, police in China began another two-month crackdown on porn and gambling involving more than 33,000 suspects.

Police across the country last year investigated 37,000 cases related to gambling and prostitution and apprehended more than 87,000 suspects. The ministry said the crackdown on illegal activities will continue to prevent them from resurfacing.

A publicity official at the ministry said 10 inspection teams were sent to more than 500 entertainment venues in 20 provinces last year to find evidence for cases related to gambling and prostitution.