Gold Coast prostitution police: No rub and tug, no happy endings

THE head of Queensland’s illegal prostitution taskforce wants clients of unlawful brothels to realise phrases like “rub and tug” and “happy ending” mask serious trafficking crimes.

THE head of Queensland’s illegal prostitution-busting taskforce wants to stamp out phrases like “rub and tug” and “happy ending”, saying they downplay serious crimes including sex trafficking.

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Queensland Police Prostitution Enforcement Taskforce Detective Inspector Juliet Hancock said the was a dark underbelly behind the jokes and casual language used regarding the illegal sex industry which involves exploitation of workers and sex trafficking.

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“I think the language that we use is really important. I have heard the words ‘rub and tug’ used and it’s not language that I use,” she said.

Detective Inspector Juliet Hancock pictured at Police Headquarters, Brisbane. Picture: Josh Woning.

“That phrase: ‘A happy ending’ well, I would say … ‘A happy ending for whom?’. In terms of exploitation, it is not a happy ending for that person who is being exploited.”

Insp. Hancock said the Taskforce doesn’t target businesses but reacts to complaints made by members of the public.

“ … it’s one of those things that you don’t know, what you don’t know. If we get a complaint of illegal prostitution we will investigate that,” she said.

“If people want to complain they can complain to Crime Stoppers or Policelink because the

problem may well be a lot bigger than we know it is.”

She said in order to stamp out illegal prostitution, clients of such businesses needed to realise they were part of the problem.

Police raid illegal massage parlours operating as alleged prostitution parlours on the Gold Coast. Picture: ABC.

“The client base of people who go to these places need to be enlivened to the fact if you visit a place offering illegal prostitution, there could be people being exploited there.”

Insp. Hancock said taskforce officers had visited more massage businesses in 2020 because of police COVID compliance checks - and some were found to be illegally selling sex,

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“ … this was about recognising there were some real health implications if someone is participating in an illegal act, the chances of them being honest when it comes to contact tracing was probably quite small,” she said.

Police raid illegal massage parlours on the Gold Coast. Picture: ABC.

She said the group planned to engage with local councils — including the Gold Coast City Council — in the coming year as part of a new strategy to identify illegal prostitution in the state.

In Queensland, it is illegal to operate a brothel without a license.

The plan to work closer with the council comes after retired Cr Dawn Crichlow tried to wage war on illegal brothels flourishing in her Southport division in late 2017. At the time she said she wanted to install CCTV outside the venues to “put pressure on”.

Police have previously said it is difficult to tackle the illegal side of the industry because it can be difficult to prove a manager or operator knows what is happening inside rooms between clients and staff.

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