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Officers from Jurong Police Division conducted enforcement operations on 4 June 2026 against three massage Massage Establishments (MEs) for suspected involvement in vice activities. Police Life followed officers for two of the raids, witnessing firsthand how the Singapore Police Force (SPF) keeps crime out of our neighbourhoods.
1345 Hours: Pre-Raid Briefing
After a media briefing by officers at Jurong Police Division Headquarters, I climbed into the Police van and headed to the first location. It was broad daylight, an odd contrast to the shadowy criminal offences we were about to witness.
1400 Hours: Boon Lay Area
We arrived at a shopping centre in Boon Lay, where officers had already secured an ME suspected of concealing vice activities. Customers had allegedly been offered sexual services here, despite the establishment being licensed as an open-concept ME.
An open-concept ME is one where massages are provided in a shared, open space rather than enclosed private rooms. This is common in foot reflexology and traditional Chinese massage outlets.
From the outside, the ME looked like any ordinary massage or reflexology parlour. Inside, the space was divided by curtains, with six massage beds tucked behind each partition.
Inside the dimly lit establishment, the atmosphere was subdued as the ME staff sat with their heads down in silence. I watched as officers combed through the premises to conduct operational checks while others interviewed the staff and recorded their details.
After completing the checks, the officers arrested two female subjects and signalled for us to move on to the next location.
1445 Hours: Jurong Area
Within five minutes, we arrived at the second location in Jurong. We followed officers up to a second-floor unit in a shophouse, which had the layout of a typical three-room HDB flat.
Just past the entrance, three female masseuses sat with their heads lowered behind a small makeshift reception counter.
Further inside the unit were three rooms, each equipped with a massage bed and a portable shower booth.
Officers moved swiftly and methodically through the rooms, searching and securing evidence for their investigations. Meanwhile, at the kitchen in the back of the unit, a female suspect was being questioned by officers.
As before, the officers took care in securing the evidence. Two female suspects were subsequently arrested for further investigation.
Keeping Our Communities Safe
In total, five women aged between 36 and 51 were arrested across three raids for offences under the Women's Charter 1961, with three ME operators being investigated for regulatory breaches under the Massage Establishments Act 2017.
Commander of Jurong Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) Sergius Wat, said, “The Police will tighten the regulatory framework for massage establishments later this year to clamp down on unlawful activities. We will not tolerate the use of massage establishments for illegal activities. Offenders will be dealt with firmly, in accordance with the law.”
