Plea for tip-offs to curb ‘hidden crime’ of labour trafficking

A campaign launched today by Crimestoppers gives tips to help read the signs of labour trafficking and asks people to pass on information anonymously.

Human trafficking is estimated to be one of the most profitable crimes in the world, second only to drugs. It is thought to be worth $32bn globally, with 21 million victims exploited for both sex and labour.

In the UK since 2009, over 1,000 men, women and children have been referred to the UK Human Trafficking Centre as potential victims.

Last October four people, including three women, were arrested at addresses across Yorkshire on suspicion of labour trafficking. Police believe that they were part of an organised crime group trafficking people from Pakistan into the UK.

James Behan, head of UK operations for the UK Human Trafficking Centre, part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which is supporting the campaign, told the Yorkshire Post that the figures were the tip of the iceberg.

He said: “You are reliant on a victim self-identifying which is very rare, or someone with knowledge of human trafficking identifying them as a potential victim, or someone in law enforcement or other agency identifying them as a potential victim.

“You don’t have to be foreign to be trafficked. Another misnomer is that people are locked in or held or restrained.”

There had been cases of people being forced to look after the elderly in nursing homes, but victims could also be found in food processing, agriculture, and the building trade, Mr Behan said.

He added: “It is quite a hidden type of crime and a lot of it happens in factories. Someone working into a factory may have gone in from 8am to 4pm, and there may be someone who was in at 7am and is still there at 10pm at night.

“Quite often traffickers control the accommodation and people will be being picked up and taken away in vans either late in the morning or coming back late at night. They might only have one change of clothes.”

Some of the victims released after a four-month undercover operation at a Bedfordshire caravan site, which led to the jailing of five members of a traveller family in December had scurvy, Mr Behan said.

The Connors family enjoyed top-of-the-range cars and expensive holidays while their workers – often homeless drifters or addicts – lived in squalid caravans and were controlled by discipline and violence.

The campaign, which is supported by the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), seeks to raise awareness, with a recent poll suggesting that only two per cent of people felt “very able” to read the signs.

In the same survey just 22 per cent saw human trafficking as a widespread problem.

Signs of trafficking include:

Victims forced to live in cramped and/or overcrowded conditions.

Being collected very early and/or returned late on a regular basis.

Having the wrong clothing for the work they are doing.

A heavy security presence at the premises where they live or work.

Signs of injury, malnourishment – their general appearance may be unkempt.

They may be isolated from the local community and/or appear to be under the control or influence of others.

Acpo migration lead Assistant Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney said: “Members of the public may not realise that they will see victims of labour exploitation, and those controlling them, in a number of different environments while going about their daily business.

“Intelligence in this area is difficult to gather, but we have had success in bringing prosecutions against those who exploit.

“The victims of forced labour are often the most vulnerable in our society who are preyed on by criminal gangs, creating financial gain from human servitude and suffering.”