A police boss is urging the public in Wrexham to join the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking.<\/p>\n
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner is asking people to keep their eyes peeled and report any suspected cases of exploitation.<\/p>\n
Mr Jones, a former police inspector, made the plea at an event held at the historic Old Courthouse Building in Ruthin which was hosted by Pat Astbury, the chair of the North Wales Police and Crime Panel.<\/p>\n
Tackling modern day slavery is a key priority in the commissioner\u2019s Police and Crime Plan which is the blueprint for policing the region.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cModern slavery is by its nature a hidden crime.\u00a0 If we don\u2019t look, we\u2019re unlikely to find it.\u00a0 However, once the rock has been turned over, the most heinous of crimes committed against the most vulnerable victims can be discovered – even here in North Wales.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe worlds of organised crime gangs and modern slavery are not unrelated.\u00a0 Where one is discovered often the other is playing a key role.\u00a0 Gangs who run cannabis farms may have trafficked vulnerable foreign and British nationals to cultivate them.<\/p>\n
\u201cOrganised criminals often diversify their business models outside of the traditional crimes of drugs and weapons and deal in people.\u00a0 In fact some of their newer criminal business models rely on trafficking people, for example County Lines \u2013 which preys on vulnerable young people forcing them into a life of criminal exploitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy overriding concern is around threat, risk and harm to victims.\u00a0 Modern slavery presents great threat, risk and harm to all our communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ability of modern slavery to flourish depends upon its ability to remain hidden, to go unnoticed and unchallenged in our communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest misunderstanding about modern slavery is that it does not exist in somewhere as rural and beautiful as North Wales. It\u2019s too quiet here, too peaceful for this level of criminality.\u00a0 We know that is not the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe the second biggest misunderstanding is that if modern slavery does exist, it is only seen in businesses that have been deliberately established for the purposes of criminality, but they can infiltrate legitimate businesses and their supply chains.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere could be victims of exploitation working in domestic servitude or forced labour in your street, in your local nail bar or car wash.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the past two years vulnerable women have been found in pop-up brothels in North Wales hotels.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome women of them are being trafficked through Holyhead often to be sexually exploited, while slave labour had been used to run cannabis farms in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have hosted two national conferences in North Wales, one to raise awareness within the public sector and the second one recently to raise awareness amongst businesses.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to thank Pat Astbury, the independent chair of my Police and Crime Panel, for being instrumental in pulling this event together and who has enthusiastically been spreading the messages from my first conference about modern slavery.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope you all leave tonight with a good understanding of modern slavery and the threat it poses to our communities. It may be a hidden crime but it is a hidden within sight and we can spot it if we know what to look for.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter tonight, spread the awareness further with your own contacts, get the conversation going.\u00a0 We need to talk about it and bring it out into the open in order to get the awareness needed to help prevent it and the intelligence needed to tackle it..<\/p>\n
\u201cPrevention is better than cure.\u00a0 My aim is to make North Wales a difficult landscape for those who peddle the misery of exploitation and slavery.\u00a0 You can also play your part by keeping your eyes peeled to continue rooting out this vile, insidious crime. With your help we stand a greater chance of achieving this.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was a sentiment endorsed by event organiser Pat Astbury who said: \u201cThe Police and Crime Commissioner has made Modern Slavery a policing priority and I felt people locally needed to hear this important message themselves because it\u2019s not enough for me to know about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is unbelievable just how much it exists even here in the Vale of Clwyd in full view and people need to be able to see what\u2019s under their noses.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have had weapons found hidden in public places and vulnerable people being exploited in car washes and nail bars so it\u2019s far more extensive than we realise.\u201d<\/p>\n
The event also heard from Gloria Williams, of BAWSO, North Police Deputy Chief Constable Richard Debicki and Detective Sergeant Richard Sidney, Co-ordinator of the force\u2019s Modern Slavery Unit.<\/p>\n
DS Sidney said: \u201cModern slavery exists in many forms here in North Wales, an example being Operation Lenton which is the investigation into teenage girls being taken to hotels for sexual exploitation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere have been instances of domestic servitude which can be difficult to identify because it happens in private homes but there are also nail bars and car washes which cut corners to make themselves viable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is also the criminal exploitation of County Lines drug gangs which is probably the greatest proportion of modern slavery here and which is where vulnerable people are made to do the dirty work for the gangs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most visible are the nail bars and car washes and if there are eight people working on your car and you\u2019re paying \u00a37 for it to be cleaned then how can that be right but until it becomes socially unacceptable it will continue.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anyone wanting to report suspected cases of modern day slavery can do so by ringing\u00a0 Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or the Modern Slavery Help Line on\u00a0 08000 121 700.<\/strong><\/p>\n