GUANGZHOU, Feb. 14 -- The police chief of south China's Dongguan has been sacked following media exposure of prostitution in the city.

Yan Xiaokang, vice mayor of Dongguan and head of the city's Public Security Bureau, has been removed from his posts for dereliction of duty, the Guangdong provincial committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) said on Friday.

A statement from the committee said that Yan's failures led to the persistent illegal sex trade in Dongguan, which has reflected very badly on the city, both domestically and internationally.

A deputy director of the Dongguan municipal bureau of public security, two township police chiefs, three police station directors and a township Party secretary were also dismissed, according to the statement.

Prior to Friday's round of sanctions, two police station directors had been sacked for not responding adequately to journalists' calls.

On Sunday, a China Central Television program revealed that a dozen hotels in Dongguan were offering sex services. In hidden-camera clips, a CCTV reporter twice called police to report prostitution in two hotels, but no officer showed up.

Dongguan municipal CPC committee has ordered the party secretaries of the townships of Huangjiang, Humen, Houjie and Fenggang to make a public apology.