Police and partners raise awareness of human trafficking

Officers and partners spoke to passengers at Stansted Airport to raise awareness of human trafficking.

Our officers worked with Border Force and the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit to identify potential victims being trafficked into or across the country for the purposes of labour exploitation.

They also monitored flights coming into the airport from countries where vulnerable people may have been trafficked into the UK for the purposes of offences being committed against them.

One safeguarding referral was made.

The operation ran on Thursday 17 September and Friday 18 September, but is part of the work we’re doing every day to safeguard victims of human trafficking and target the criminals who exploit them.

DC Mark Ghosh said: “Vulnerable people can be promised stable jobs and then be brought into the country and forced to work for little or no pay. They might also be forced into sex work against their wishes.

“It leaves them unable to break free from the debts they or their families have to pay to the criminals who made the arrangements and control every aspect of their lives.”

If you have any information about human trafficking or modern slavery offences taking place, please tell us. Call 101, or 999 in an emergency, or report online at https://www.essex.police.uk

Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or https://crimestoppers-uk.org
Crimestoppers can be reached anonymously online or by calling 0800 555 111.

For more information about how to spot the signs of trafficking, find out more at https://www.essex.police.uk/police-forces/essex-police/areas/essex-police/campaigns/campaigns/20192/human-trafficking/

Or visit the websites of partner agencies such as Stop the Traffik https://www.stopthetraffik.org/ Unseen https://www.unseenuk.org/ and the Southend Against Modern Slavery Partnership https://www.samspartnership.org.uk/