N.Wales a ‘gateway for modern day slave trade’
NORTH Wales is a gateway for gangs involved in modern day slavery, a top cop tasked with wiping out the crime has said.
The port town of Holyhead in particular is a hotspot for gangsters engaged in sex trafficking, drug cultivation and agricultural forced labour, said Detective Superintendent Mark Pierce.
“Traditionally there’s a perception that it hadn’t happened in areas such as North Wales,” he said. “The issues we face are the whole recognition of under reporting in North Wales.
“There are lots and lots of reasons why people don’t report these incidents – trust issues, people don’t understand they’re victims themselves and so forth.
“Community eyes and ears are inherently important, but we’ve got to work with those organisations people inherently trust and the border forces who see people coming in and out of the country.”
Speaking at a conference on the issue yesterday, Det sup Pierce revealed Holyhead was a regular entry point of criminal gangs, adding: “We’ve got lots of issues around Holyhead being a big gateway into the UK.
“Dublin airport had 20m passengers last year, and when you look at the size of Ireland it’s obvious that’s used as a gateway to come in through Holy- head port.
“You’ve got to have a recognition it can happen within communities as well, it doesn’t have to be cross border.”
Drug gangs using people as slaves to farm cannabis, agricultural slavery where people are paid a pittance to tend crops, and where sexual predators hire women out through small ads are all areas where the public need to be alert and ready to pass on information, say those fighting this modern scourge.
Titled Removing the Blindfold, the conference at Venue Cymru, Llandudno heard experts in the field highlight the warning signs that trafficking might be going on, including a moving first-hand story by a victim of people trafficking.
The UK’s independent anti-slavery commissioner, Kevin Hyland, said partnership working was the way to tackle the issue.
“I am pleased to have joined the delegates today at the Wales anti-slavery conference.
“Working with Welsh partners and joining resolves nationally and internationally is imperative to achieve my objectives of increased victim identification and prosecutions of perpetrators of this serious crime.”
For anyone who suspects maltreatment or believes they may be a victim themselves, there is more information at www. north- wales. police. uk/ advice-and-support/staysafe/modern-slavery.aspx