Eighteen people have been taken to a reception centre and 27 people have been arrested in Greater Manchester as part of a week-long regional crackdown on modern slavery and human trafficking.
Police and partner agencies visited 207 addresses across Greater Manchester last week, including car washes, nail bars, brothels and factories.
Greater Manchester Police arrested 14 people and immigration officers arrested 13 people for crimes such as modern slavery, kidnap, illegal workers and suspicion of illegal entry.Police also recovered a Range Rover and made 34 referrals to other agencies such as HMRC, DWP and Housing Standards.
Greater Manchester Police worked alongside Cheshire Constabulary, Merseyside Police, North Wales Police, Lancashire Constabulary and Cumbria Constabulary as part of the largest modern slavery week of action the region has seen.
The week of action, which coincided with anti-slavery day, was also supported by agencies including Immigration, Environmental Health, GMFRS, HMRC, Border Force, NHS, DWP and STOP THE TRAFFIK.
Suspected victims were taken to a reception centre run by the British Red Cross. Specially trained staff worked to protect the victim from further harm and provide them with much-needed care, support and rehabilitation.
Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, Head of Crime said: “The week of action reinforces our commitment to helping vulnerable people, taking them to a place of safety and giving them the support they need. This is and will continue to be our main priority.
“Rest assured that our work to tackle modern slavery doesn’t stop here. Traffickers are not welcome on our streets and Greater Manchester Police will continue to work all year round to bring offenders to justice.”
John Harrison, from the Greater Manchester Immigration Enforcement team, said: “We are always alive to the possibility that immigration offending can be linked to more exploitative behaviour such as trafficking. We work closely with the police, and other partners, to ensure we maximise opportunities to identify potential modern slavery offences.
“This was a successful operation where we made arrests for a number of offences relating to illegal working, and we will continue our work to identify people abusing the UK’s immigration laws.”
Greater Manchester Mayor and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “The success of this operation is significant, but more importantly, this is good news for the 18 people who have been saved from a life of servitude and suffering and will now be supported to rebuild their lives.
“This week shows that we are committed to eradicating modern slavery, but it also sadly highlights how slavery is happening here on our very doorsteps, in our own communities. That’s why we must keep up the fight against those criminals who enslave and exploit the vulnerable.”
Since the beginning of last year, Greater Manchester Police have recorded 163 crimes of modern slavery.During the same period, 151 victims have been referred to the national referral mechanism.
Modern slavery takes many forms but some of the most common are sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic servitude. Victims – both foreign national and British citizens – are forced to work in poor conditions and against their will in many different sectors including brothels, cannabis farms, nail bars, car washes, agriculture, construction, and even within people’s homes.
