A real-time, unfiltered look at how officers from Tanglin Division and the CID conducted enforcement operations against massage establishments.
By: Domnic Dass
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) conducted enforcement operations in March against four Massage Establishments (MEs) for their suspected involvement in illegal vice activities.
Following officers from Tanglin Division, Police Life witnessed first-hand the raids against the MEs and how SPF officers keep crime out of our neighbourhoods.
1400 Hours: Macpherson Area
The operation started with a ride in a Police vehicle to our first target: a seemingly regular ME that catered to both men and women. But appearances can be deceiving, and officers from Tanglin Division quickly uncovered the truth.
The officers conducted preliminary investigations and established that the ME had allegedly engaged in vice-related activities. They then gathered the female suspects into a room for questioning. At the same time, other officers swiftly conducted a search of the premises to gather more evidence.
As I entered the ME, I noticed a scent of lavender in the air and saw rooms which were equipped with portable showers.
The raid on the first ME was swift and successful – within minutes, five suspects had been arrested for their suspected involvement in vice-related activities.
Once the officers had concluded their search of the ME, it was closed and sealed, and the suspects were conveyed to the Police Station. No sooner had the first raid been completed when the officers were on their way to the next target, an ME inside a shophouse.
1440 Hours: Toa Payoh Area
While the second ME we visited did not look unusual from the outside, I quickly learnt that more officers were involved in this raid as it had more staff than the first ME, and that they were purportedly being evasive and uncooperative. Inside the ME were large shower rooms with glass doors. The staff were also believed to be living in a makeshift dormitory within the ME.
At the back of the shophouse, the afternoon sun shone through tinted windows into a messy kitchen; food was left unattended and dirty dishes lay in the sink. An officer pointed out a flight of stairs that led to the second floor, which housed many other rooms with shower facilities.
The officers rounded up seven female suspects who were alleged to have provided illegal vice activities and then brought them to the Police van.
2030 Hours: Upper Paya Lebar Area
With two raids successfully completed, the officers proceeded back to Tanglin Division for a quick review and briefing on the final two raids of the day. These would be more challenging as the MEs had front doors that were locked and monitored by CCTV cameras.
Close coordination and planning were key. As we drove through the night to the third target, I noticed that the officers were silent and focused on the work ahead. A sudden stop told me that we’d arrived.
The officers sprinted from their cars and surrounded the ME, identifying themselves and knocking loudly on the front door. The suspects inside the ME refused to open it, until they realised they had no other choice.
After a thorough search of the rooms, the officers found one of the staff members hiding under a pile of large bags inside a storeroom.
2100 Hours: Upper Paya Lebar Area
The final raid of the night was a joint operation by officers of Tanglin Division and the Specialised Crime Branch (SCB) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who were equipped with tools such as battering rams.
Their target: an ME just over on the next street. This time, the SCB officers had to use a battering ram to get through the front door. The breaching went as planned as the officers were in sync, precise in their actions and understood one another’s roles well.
Once inside, they quickly apprehended three female suspects and proceeded to gather evidence.
After a thorough search of the premises, the officers discovered that the suspects had allegedly hid condoms and lubricants in the hood above the stove in the kitchen.
The officers escorted the suspects away after gathering all the evidence. It was now almost midnight, but the work didn’t end there for the officers. They had follow-up action to take, such as investigations against the operators of such MEs.
Under Section 146 of the Women’s Charter 1961, offenders who live wholly or in part on the earnings of prostitution can be fined up to $100,000 and/or face imprisonment for up to seven years. Under Section 147 of the same act, offenders who keep, manage or assist in the management of a place of assignation can be fined up to $100,000 and/or face imprisonment for up to five years.
Learn more about this enforcement operation at this link.
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