De Sekspolitie

A unique glimpse into the daily grind of a Dutch detective named John, who fights a thankless battle against illegal prostitution and human trafficking. The camera follows the team on their nightly visits to the red light district, on brothel inspections and while processing potential victims of human trafficking at the police station.

The team, run by a Dutch police inspector named John, combats human trafficking and the exploitation of prostitutes in The Hague. Matter-of-factly, but not without emotion, the detectives talk with a unique candidness about the world of prostitution and the inner workings of human trafficking. Frequently, the men find themselves taking on the role of social workers rather than upholders of justice, and we see how they joke with prostitutes and pimps to put them at ease. They have to remain constantly alert to the possibility of false accusations, and they have their work cut out for them when they must distill reality from the often complex statements made by victims from every corner of the world. Then there are the regulations, procedures and political plans that make it difficult to get human traffickers behind bars. A disarming portrait of this committed ‘commercial vice’ squad, otherwise known as ‘the sex police’. Their approach is an example for other large cities in the Netherlands.