中國網站品牌欄目（頻道）
The city's police department ramped up its campaign on Monday against businesses that front for prostitution and drug gangs and says it will now focus on looking for illegal activity on the city's streets.
The crackdown began in April with the closure of the nightclub Heaven Earth, where prostitutes were allegedly readily available.
This week, the campaign entered what police are calling its third phase.
Statistics from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau show that the police have broken up more than 240 alleged prostitution gangs and suspended the operation of 39 entertainment venues since the operation began six months ago, according to Mirror Evening News.
Since the campaign started, the bureau has received 1,205 reports of gambling, a year-on-year decrease of 66.4 percent. It received 1,931 reports of prostitution, a year-on-year decrease of 42.6 percent.
The bureau said reports of gambling and prostitution during the past six months have been at an all-time low.
The third phase of the crackdown will target providers of sexual services who have been flushed out of the nightclubs and other entertainment venues and who are now working on the streets or meeting clients online. Some of the prostitutes are also understood to be doing businesses from stores masquerading as foot massage shops and hair salons.
The municipal police have set up a plainclothes team in partnership with district and county branches and are carrying out investigations of suspected illegal businesses.
The municipal police department has also set up a website through which people can report businesses suspected of providing access to prostitutes, gambling and drugs.
Since the closure of some well-known nightclubs and KTVs, many residents have received spam messages that contain vague words such as "healthcare" or "foot massage" that may imply sexual services are being provided, according to Beijing Evening News.
To help root out the prostitutes from local communities, a new branch called the Special Office for Cracking Down on Prostitution, Gambling and Drug Use has been set up and was unveiled on Monday.
The municipal police force has provided general training to 368,000 employees from the city's 857 bathing service providers since Sept 11, according to Mirror Evening News.
（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.
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