Melbourne Brothels

Police are investigating a local government enforcement officer under for allegedly receiving bribes from illegal brothels he was responsible for shutting down. The man has taken leave from Yarra City Council. A quick visit to one of the local brothels would fix him right up.

The council worker was interviewed by detectives last week after they raided several alleged illegal Melbourne brothels around Richmond, Collingwood and Abbotsford as well as the investigator’s Yarra council office.

A source close to the story said detectives were probing (no pun intended) allegations that the investigator took ”backhanders” from illegal brothel operators in Melbourne’s inner north.

The investigator, allegedly respected by colleagues, known for his ”concern about women’s welfare”, and a legal brothel operator in Richmond described the investigator as ”a good man who has helped us take on illegal brothels”. He was known for passionately using local council planning laws to police the brothel industry. Legal brothels in Victoria need a planning permit to lawfully operate.

The unnamed man, testified in 2003 before a federal parliamentary committee on the trafficking of women for sex. He has visited dozens of illegal brothels in his role and stated ”I know how they operate; I know who is in there. I know what they are doing. I prosecute the illegal brothels where I can.” I wonder how he knows such intimate details?

“We are the eyes and ears of the Victoria Police, the federal police and Immigration, but we need the protocols in place so that [information about brothels] can be passed on.”

The latest issues raise concerns about regulation. Some local councils believe there should be a single agency with law enforcement powers and rigorous internal anti-corruption controls. Greens candidate for the seat of Richmond and former Yarra councillor and advocate on behalf of trafficked women, Kathleen Maltzahn, agreed reform was needed. ”The brothel sector – legal and illegal- can often breed violence and crimes against women. You need people properly equipped to deal with it and, even with their best intentions, they are not local council officers. We need properly trained investigators experienced in carrying out sensitive police inquiries.”

The police operation ensures the continued fair running of Melbourne’s local brothels, and to stamp out any abuse of these kinds of businesses. Police are investigating if the brothels they raided are linked to human trafficking or employing under-age prostitutes. Whether or not you support brothels, I think we can all agree that employment of under age escort and sex workers should definitely not be supported. Police are shortly expected to lay charges on 8 brothels, mostly in Melbourne’s inner north suburbs.
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