Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has highlighted the multiagency work underway to prevent Modern Slavery and protect victims.
Anti-Slavery Day, which took place on Friday 18 October, is aimed at encouraging the public, businesses and governments to do more to prevent Human Trafficking and protect victims of Modern Slavery.
Modern Slavery is a crime where victims are exploited, controlled or held captive and threatened or punished to stop them escaping or reporting the crime to the police. Modern Slavery includes Human Trafficking – a crime where victims are taken between countries or around a country so they can be exploited.
An estimated 122,000 people in the UK are trapped in conditions of modern slavery.
The PCC and the Chief Constable Rob Nixon are jointly committed to tackling exploitation offences and protecting the most vulnerable, signing a Joint Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement earlier this year to pledge action.
The PCC hosted a round table event in June attended by a range of representatives including health, emergency services, the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, HM Revenue and Customs, the retail industry and the Home Office.
The event recognised the issue of under-reporting and heightened risk levels of these crimes and sought to determine further opportunities to improve prevention, identify more victims and bring perpetrators to justice
Two further events are now being planned by Leicestershire Police, the PCC and the East Midlands Serious and Organised Crime Unit (EMSOU).
One will focus on raising awareness of the issue, sharing best practice and increasing confidence in identifying and reporting these crimes among community leaders and other stakeholders and the other event will be specifically for practitioners to map out current arrangements to maximise opportunities to work together.
Furthermore, the PCC and partners have agreed to create a shared forum where risks, opportunities and learning around Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking can be tracked and challenged through the existing Adult Vulnerability and Offending Board.
Mr Matthews said: “Tackling, and just as importantly, preventing Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking is a vital part of our collective responsibility to safeguard vulnerable people. These crimes are hidden in the depths of our communities, with many victims too terrified or unable to raise alarm. No organisation can single-handedly respond or eliminate the risks, we simply must work together.
“We now have a forum to coordinate our work and share information between agencies so we can ensure that victims are identified earlier, and exploitation prevented from happening in the first place.”
