Gold Coast Cr Dawn Crichlow wants to put illegal massage parlours under CCTV surveillance

THE war on illegal Gold Coast massage parlours is gaining momentum with plans to use a secret weapon to target individual operators. But the move has been declared ‘extreme’ by a peak industry body.

CCTV cameras will be installed outside massage parlours suspected of operating as illegal brothels under a council plan dubbed “extreme” by critics.

Firebrand Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow has launched another salvo at the adult industry, saying she wanted to eliminate massage parlours “one by one” by installing cameras outside them.

Cr Dawn Crichlow is fired up over her push to take down illegal massage parlours. Picture Mike Batterham

Cr Crichlow said she would use her council divisional funds to buy the mobile cameras.

“We will close them down one by one and I will get them out of here, “ she said.

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“By putting CCTV cameras outside these parlours we will put pressure on them and they will know we are watching them.

“I am sick of them and slowly we will get this taken care on because I am not impressed by these people.”

Cr Crichlow wants more of these installed outside adult industry locations.

Cr Crichlow is expected to ask colleagues to appropriate the funds at a coming budget meeting.

It comes just months after the city hall veteran secured the support of councillors to increase development application fees for adult businesses to help prevent further sex shops from opening in central business districts.

Application fees for new adult shops jumped from as low as $3638 to as much as $9946 while brothel fees increased by $1100.

Calls for a crackdown on massage parlours have been growing.

This was dismissed by industry figures as a ‘moralistic crusade” and sparked fears adult shops and brothels would move across the border to Tweed.

But the peak adult services industry body has hit back at Cr Crichlow’s crusade, saying it would not solve the issue.

Eros Association general manager Rachel Payne said councils should work to increase regulation over massage parlours which would allow it to curtail late night hours of business.

The leading adult industry body has fired back at Cr Crichlow’s push.

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“This just seems extreme and very odd given there are so many other options which could be pursued rather than put cameras outside to capture their clients,” she said.

“If they go through with this it will just perpetuate the problem because you will see operators become more aware and change their behaviour to avoid detection.

“Using cameras in this way would just capture the clients on film rather than actually slowing down the businesses which offer these services.”

The council has been cracking down on adult shops this year.

Southport already has more than 60 security cameras with more expected to be installed in coming months for use during the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

There are believed to be more than 140 street-corner massage parlours on the Gold Coast.

Police this year admitted there were “inherent” difficulties in investigating massage shops offering sexual extras illegally.