More venues to be checked for drugs
0 
Bars, bathhouses, hotels, restaurants and clubs in Beijing will for the first time be included in drug checks carried out as a part of wider police crackdown on vice, according to a recent notice jointly published by the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau (PSB) and other departments including the Beijing Municipal Anti-Drug Office.
The notice said that the frequency with which drug-related cases occur at these venues has led to their being listed along with other entertainment venues, such as nightclubs.
These venues will be managed according to various criteria including anti-drug advocacy, anti-drug training for their employees and records of illegal activity.
If it is found that any venue has not met the first two criteria to an acceptable standard or that illegal activities have occurred, they will be marked with one of three grades – warning, risk or high risk, and as a result be singled out by police for major checks.
The Global Times found that the policy has received support from many local hotels and restaurants.
Yin Yue, manager of the Public Relations department of the five-star Grand Millennium Hotel in Beijing, told the Global Times that they have not yet received the notice, but will cooperate with police in future drug checks at their hotel.
"Hotels are open places with lots of different kinds of people coming and going. The regulation will help police inspect the population flow, and can secure greater public security in Beijing."
Monday marks the first anniversary in Beijing of the start of a crackdown on pornography, gambling and drug abuse and trafficking.
Over 1,000 corporate representatives of entertainment venues such as karaoke clubs and bathhouses attended a conference hosted by the Beijing Municipal PSB to mark the anniversary.
The person taking charge of the Beijing-based Jinhui Business Meeting Hotel, which was shut down in June by police for allowing prostitutes to operate in its sauna, gave a speech at the conference, saying that the hotel suffered losses of more than 8 million yuan (US$1.2 million) after being closed. Doing business legally is the only way to survive, the man was quoted as saying by the Beijing Morning Post.
Go to Forum >>0 Comments