Controversy over surveillance cameras in public men's bathhouse

Police in the city of Suqian in eastern Jiangsu Province confirmed today online reports of surveillance cameras detected in a public men's bathhouse.

As a video posted online on Monday showed, dozens of customers sounded agitated after detecting the hidden cameras and tried to remove them.

The police said in a statement released on Tuesday that the cameras were installed a year ago for investigative purposes, as locker thefts were frequently reported in the bathhouse between November 2020 and last March. Four suspects have been arrested with the help of the cameras.

However, local police failed to remove the cameras immediately after the cases were solved "as a result of negligence," according to the statement. The police stated the footage could only be checked by policemen with a password.

Local police removed all cameras after a "complete inspection" and deleted all the footage. They also confirmed there were no cameras in the women's bathhouse. The local public security bureau apologized for the negligence and said it is accountable for violating the rules.