The Met Police has asked a London council to revoke the licence of a strip club in Soho after finding dancers “touching” customers in booths.
Officers said dancers at the Sunset Strip club on Dean Street flouted “no touch” rules while management failed to man the club with enough qualified bouncers, council documents show. They also said the venue failed to maintain a comprehensive CCTV system.
Police visited the Soho club in January to collect CCTV footage regarding an alleged spiking when they noticed a number of private dances taking place which included “flagrant breaching” of the no-touch rule between performers and customers.
When the manager was approached, he allegedly shrugged his shoulders and made no comment, a statement by police says.
The venue was eventually handed a section 19 Closure Notice when police allegedly found one of the doormen working as a waitress. Police also received a USB of CCTV footage which had not been correctly downloaded by the venue’s video engineer and had to submit another request to retrieve it.
They also found private dancing booths which the venue had offered to remove still in place.
A review of CCTV footage uncovered a number of instances of touching, including one in which two strippers perform with each other before “intentionally mak[ing] contact with customers”.
A statement by police read: “In one instance a customer has to move her hand away to avoid touching the dancer’s [sic] bottom.”
It comes as the club avoided losing its licence in November when the council voted to allow the venue to stay open.
Sunset Strip had been hauled before Westminster City’s licensing committee over alleged breaches to its licence after police allegedly found “graphic touching” of customers by dancers and a used condom in a bin alongside an empty wrapper.
Police said similar breaches took place in 2019 and 2022. Westminster City council will meet on Thursday, May 16, to review the request.
Sunset Strip has been contacted for comment.
