Shanghai cops will swap districts to carry out surprise checks of karaoke bars, discos and video game arcades in a scheme also designed to address concerns about police corruption. 

Police officials acknowledged the tactics were the result of complaints by residents that law enforcement officers may be getting paid off to protect those involved in prostitution, pornography, gambling, drug sales and other illegal activities at entertainment venues on their own beats.

And if investigators from one area find crime is flourishing in another that district's police director will be punished.

Without providing figures the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said yesterday that criminal activities in entertainment venues rose last year.

The upcoming raids are part of a larger crackdown that began after the State Council issued new regulations covering the administration of entertainment venues in March. The rules set noise standards, established 2 a.m. closing times and tightened surveillance of karaoke bars, discos and video game arcades.

The bureau said the officer swaps will take place in all the city's districts in the near future. A specific timetable was not disclosed.

If criminal activity is found at an entertainment venue the director of the police station responsible for the area will be punished, officials said. The penalties would depend on the seriousness of the violations, said Jiang Xianfa, the security bureau's vice director.

"The policy is aimed at clarifying the responsibility for administration of the law and to intensify control over the entertainment industry," he said.

The city has shut down around 100 unlicensed dance halls, nightclubs and Internet cafes during the past eight months. On August 3 police raided a karaoke bar on Ruijin Road S. in Xuhui District, seizing five suspects who were allegedly involved in a lewd performance. Police detained the entire group for several days, including the performer, a 20-year-old Anhui Province woman. The venue was ordered to shut down for six months.

On July 17 Minhang District police busted a gambling operation in a video game arcade at a hotel on Wuzhong Road. This led to the seizure of 55 slot machines imported from Japan. The Minhang District Cultural Law Enforcement Team closed the venue and fined its operators 20,000 yuan (US$2,500).

(Shanghai Daily November 2, 2006)