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Clubs shut in clip joint crackdown
Rashid Razaq12 Dec 2008
TWO hostess clubs have been shut down under new legislation to crack own on Soho "clip joints".
The Soho Cabaret in Great Windmill Street and Twilights in Rupert Street are the first venues closed in an effort to clean up the West End.
Two women and two men were arrested on suspicion of robbery, false imprisonment and forcibly demanding money following a series of complaints from customers.
Police said the clip joints used a woman at the door to entice men to enter for a £5 fee. Once inside, other female hostesses engaged the customers in conversation but when it became apparent that no sexual services would be provided and the men attempted to leave, door staff would demand money, around £300.
If the customer refused to pay, he could be threatened physically or forcibly taken to cash machines to withdraw money. Westminster council issued the two clubs with three-month closure orders, which will then be reviewed.
Reader views (5)
The presence of scantilly clad women on the streets of Soho (the main visible contribution of these two clubs) will surely lessen the areas reputation. Whether that is good or bad largely depends on your opinion because undoubtably local businesses benefited as well as losing trade as a consequence (probably dependant on the nature of their trade). There is however no place for the type of extortion that occured inside these clubs. Dont forget that these establishments targetted foreign visitors who probably felt that London was a safe place. For that reason alone good riddance at last
- Martin, London, 21/12/2008 22:21
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Get more fun and safety in Amsterdam where its all regulated.. here goverment dont regulate things but let it go blind eyed.. until someone complains or until someone gets hurt..
Goverment is lazy.. ask anyone from abroad and the will tell you
- Paul, Manchester, 14/12/2008 15:06
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Soho will now become extremly boring, the clubs were the main attraction. Nobody was forcing men to go into the clubs, if they were stupid enough to go in, they b surprised to pay some money. Come on now, what can you get for 5 pounds in London? I think the clubs were doing a favour to woman really, what man would go to a strip club after that experience?
Good news for the police tho, now they will have more time to concentrate on real crime instead of harrasing the girls
- John Smith, london, 14/12/2008 02:51
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There is absolutely nothing new about this scam its been part of soho for the thirty five years I have been driving a cab in one form or another,sadly it is the risque nature that lures people to these clubs and to soho taking the risque out of soho will make as exciting as legally having a c b radio, now we can have one legally nobody wants one, whats surprising is that its taken so long for the police to act but its hardly going to make soho fold up over night,cant see many club owners are going to quake in their boots over this one all that will happen is the level of rip off will temporarily reduce to a level where mug punters will swallow the loss rather than suffer the embarrassment of involving the police.
- G Crane, London England, 13/12/2008 20:32
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THis is most encouraging news if it means that the West End will finally become a cleaner and less dangerous place. The police who have jurisdiction over the Soho area should make a concerted effort to clamp down on clubs which use heavy handed and threatening behaviour in the form of violent door staff to force people to pay a lot of money just to be able to leave the premises safe and sound. All such clubs should be immediately and permanently closed.
- Tom Hendry, Salonika, Greece, 13/12/2008 13:40
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