90 slaves rescued as evil Midland trade laid bare Police crackdown on soaring exploitation of people in region
POLICE have revealed that 90 suspected slavery victims from the West Midlands have been referred to a national human trafficking centre in just three months.
The victims claim they were exploited for forced labour, prostitution or domestic servitude between January and March of this year.
Last year 240 suspected slavery victims were referred for help by authorities in the West Midlands, with many found living in appalling conditions.
In some cases officers discovered up to 12 people in one house sharing mattresses with no bedding, no hot water, no electricity and no working toilets.
West Midlands Police recently became one of the first UK forces to secure interim Slavery and Trafficking Risk Orders against people suspected of being involved in trafficking Polish people in the Black Country. Fourteen people have been arrested as part of the investigation and the force has used civil risk orders – introduced in the Modern Day Slavery Act 2015 – with conditions banning suspects from opening bank accounts for people, arranging work, and transporting anyone to and from work.
Detective Constable Michelle Ohren is a specially trained detective working on a major West Midlands Police trafficking and slavery operation that is helping free men, women and children from the shackles of suspected gang-masters.
Commenting on the Black Country case, she said: “The victims are arriving in the UK on lorries or coaches legally from Poland but are coming here under false pretences.
“It’s the classic case of being promised well-paid jobs and a good life – but they find themselves living in cramped, squalid conditions and working long hours for very little pay.
“They can very quickly end up in a very desperate position. That’s when some will try to break free, but we suspect many others are too scared to try and seek help.
“In the past, reports of groups of eastern European men coming and going from a property may have been wrongly labelled as an anti-social behaviour issue when, in reality, trafficking could be the root problem.
“Some of the properties we’ve uncovered have exposed wires dangling from the walls or ceilings and no smoke alarms. They are tragedies waiting to happen.”
DC Ohren added: “We find people of South East Asian heritage are trafficked here to work in cannabis factories in squalid, dangerous conditions.
“Community Intelligence is absolutely vital to tackling slavery. The overwhelming message is to trust your intuition and if anything appears suspicious in your neighbourhood then report it.”
To report suspicions of forced labour or human trafficking, call police on 101 or the Modern Slavery Hotline on 0800 012 1700.
DC Michelle Ohren