Copenhagen Police rounded up 31 suspected illegal immigrants working as prostitues during a sweep of Istedgage in the Vesterbro district early Thursday morning. The women, all from Nigeria, are charged with holding false residency permits. A man indentified as a French citizen was also detained, but later released.
Kjeld Farcinsen of the Copenhagen Police said the number of African women arriving in Copenhagen to work as prostitutes was on the rise, and they are becoming increasingly aggressive.
“When our undercover officers approach them, the women make no attempt to hide the fact that they are offering sex for money,” Farcinsen told Politiken newspaper.
Farcinsen said about 20 other suspected illegal immigrants working as prostitues managed to elude police during the action and he promised that there would be more night-time raids over the next few weeks.
The 31 women are charged with being in the country illegally, working without a permit and vagrancy. They are in custody and will be interviewed by social workers trained to work with victims of human trafficking while their papers are checked. They are scheduled to appear before the court within the next few days.
