Modern slavery on the agenda at uni conference

in workshops to raise awareness of the links, challenges, nature and scale of the issue.

Mr Burns-Williamson added: “These conferences are a great opportunity to bring together all the experts in the field and talk in greater depth about what more can be done in West Yorkshire.

“The information gathered from these discussions will also help to form a national debate on these themes, particularly through the portfolio I hold around Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking through the national PCC network, which I chair.

“On Wednesday I will be feeding back much of what I have learned to the next National Anti-Trafficking and Modern Slavery Network (NATMSN) in Coventry.

“By having these conversations and sharing our knowledge, it can only serve to focus efforts around prevention of these horrendous crimes and human rights abuses offering increased support for victims and survivors.”

Among those who attended the event were Gordon Laing, general manager of Leedsbased charity Simon on the Streets, which works to support the homeless across West Yorkshire, and Shaun Sawyer, Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police.

Mr Laing’s charity works with entrenched rough sleepers who are vulnerable to targeting by people wishing to take advantage of them.

He praised Mr Burns-Williamson for publicising the connection between homelessness and rough sleeping, and slavery/trafficking.

Chief Constable Sawyer, who is the National Police Chief Council Lead for Modern Slavery, said the partnership initiative would be “critical” in safeguarding vulnerable people as well as helping wider policing “to better understand the complexity of the challenge.”