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Dungannon prostitution probe |
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Crimewatch
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Published in The Tyrone Times
3rd February 2012
POLICE are investigating an alleged brothel operating in Dungannon. The active inquiry follows an expose in a Sunday newspaper which alleged that the illegal activity was taking place in a flat in Market Square. An undercover team claimed that a woman from the Czech Republic was working as a prostitute in the shadow of the old RUC station. It is believed that the woman was charging up to £80 an hour.
Police have been active in recent months in tackling the problem of prostitution in the area. Raids have taken place on properties in Dungannon and Aughnacloy. Police have disclosed that prostitution is taking place in the town, and have urged the public to contact them with any information.
It is feared that the allegations are only the tip of the iceberg with more women trapped in underground operations.
It is estimated that there are 88 brothels in operation across Northern Ireland, with the region having a higher demand for prostitution than most other areas of Europe. The brothels are usually run by local gangs, including paramilitaries, but there are also foreign groups. Many of the women working in the brothels have been trafficked from abroad.
Across Northern Ireland, the PSNI have broken up some of the prostitution rings and rescued dozens of women from the sex trade over the last couple of years. However, every day, new women are being brought in from abroad and often the women are so traumatised by their experiences they can’t help the police bring convictions against the gangs.
PSNI Detective Inspector Douglas Grant, who has been leading a Belfast-based investigation into a human trafficking and vice rings, said the public needed to know the full extent of the problem. “There’s a significant demand in Northern Ireland for prostitutes and that’s larger than other parts of the UK and Europe,” he said.
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Crimewatch 