A rise in illegal sex workers visiting the Latrobe Valley has prompted police to issue a warning to motel owners to be vigilant and report suspicious activity. Detectives are also investigating possible links to human trafficking of women who are allegedly coming into the area to perform sexual services to "make money for somebody else". A recent meeting between police and motel owners detailed police concerns that illegal sex workers could be using motels to perform the service.
You can go and check out the internet and often you can find heaps of illegally advertised sex workers there," Lisa, whose real name has been withheld, said. Inspector Dean Thomas said police were investigating unlicensed sex workers in the Latrobe Valley and information obtained indicated services may be taking place in "accommodation facilities, such as motels".
We're working on all of that but it's fair to say we're conducting an investigation to determine the extent of this activity and obviously to identify those involved," Inspector Thomas said. It is also illegal under the act for sex workers to use facilities, such as motels, as a substitute or unlicensed brothels.
Despite police concerns motel owner John, who owns two motels in Morwell, said it was "not a big issue" and his businesses had experienced only one instance of an illegal sex worker in the past year.
A day later he took a phone call from an anonymous female saying that a woman in your motel was a prostitute and using the room as a brothel. Contents of the motel room revealed transactions of the services along with condoms and other service-related items. Another motel owner, this time at Traralgon, said a majority of his guests booked online and motel owners had "no idea of knowing what [guests] were doing in their room".
