Officers target modern slavery and human trafficking

We are supporting a national campaign to raise awareness and encourage the reporting of modern slavery and human trafficking, as we continue our work to disrupt crime and protect the vulnerable across Staffordshire.

Anti-Slavery Week runs from today (Monday 14 October) to Sunday (20 October), with Anti-Slavery Day falling on Friday (18 October).

The aim is to highlight this hidden crime, raise awareness of how to spot the signs and encourage the public to report any concerns.

Here in Staffordshire officers will be executing warrants, arresting suspects and working with partner agencies to safeguard victims.

Modern slavery is the exploitation of people and affects our most vulnerable men, women and children. This includes victims that have been brought from overseas, as well as UK nationals.

It can take many forms but the three most common are sexual exploitation, criminal exploitation and forced labour.

In Staffordshire our modern slavery and human trafficking team has more than 50 ongoing investigations.

Detective Inspector Carla Thompson, from our modern slavery and human trafficking team, said: “We are committed to pursuing those responsible for modern slavery, preventing people from engaging in it and protecting vulnerable people from exploitation.

“We have a dedicated modern slavery and human trafficking team focused on our investigative response, working alongside partners on proactive operations across the county.

“Our officers take part in specialist training to improve their understanding in order to better address and deal with situations they might find.

“As part of Anti-Slavery Day and Anti-Slavery Week we are reminding the public that this is happening in plain sight in our communities, so it is important that people are familiar with the signs that could indicate someone is a victim and help us to investigate by reporting any concerns.”

These are some of the signs that you may notice:

• If an individual is scared and withdrawn
• They have unexplained injuries
• No access to passport or documents
• Limited contact with family, or outside world
• They don’t know their home or work address
• They are distrustful of the authorities
• Poor hygiene and unkempt appearance
• Signs their movements are being controlled
• Allows others to speak for them when addressed directly

Across the UK, some 17,004 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the Home Office last year – a record high since the introduction of a national framework for identifying and referring potential victims was introduced in 2009.

Anyone who is worried that someone may be a victim of modern slavery can contact us on 101, or through the Live Chat facility on our website. In an emergency, always call 999.

To report anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

We launched Operation Target in May last year and have been working to disrupt and pursue criminals who plan, organise and commit serious criminal offences across the county, including drug supply, illegal firearms, knife crime, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.