This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/oct/24/how-police-miss-chances-to-investigate-modern-slavery
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| How police miss chances to investigate modern slavery | How police miss chances to investigate modern slavery |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| A highly critical report on police forces’ response to modern slavery has uncovered some shocking instances of failures to investigate suspects and protect victims. | A highly critical report on police forces’ response to modern slavery has uncovered some shocking instances of failures to investigate suspects and protect victims. |
| Here are examples of poor conduct by some of the 10 forces inspected, as highlighted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. | Here are examples of poor conduct by some of the 10 forces inspected, as highlighted by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services. |
| Cases closed prematurely | Cases closed prematurely |
| Fourteen Romanian workers attended a police station complaining of exploitation on a building site. The group said they did not wish to support a prosecution and were repatriated back to Romania. | Fourteen Romanian workers attended a police station complaining of exploitation on a building site. The group said they did not wish to support a prosecution and were repatriated back to Romania. |
| Formal statements containing the victims’ accounts were not taken to enable the police to understand whether modern slavery and human trafficking offences had taken place. This means the alleged offenders were not prosecuted and other current and potential victims were not protected. | Formal statements containing the victims’ accounts were not taken to enable the police to understand whether modern slavery and human trafficking offences had taken place. This means the alleged offenders were not prosecuted and other current and potential victims were not protected. |
| Failure to identify victims | Failure to identify victims |
| A Romanian man went to a police station to report the theft of his national ID card by his employers at a car wash and to complain that expected him to work without pay. The report was not initially recognised as modern slavery by the front desk officer and instead was recorded as theft. | A Romanian man went to a police station to report the theft of his national ID card by his employers at a car wash and to complain that expected him to work without pay. The report was not initially recognised as modern slavery by the front desk officer and instead was recorded as theft. |
| Delay in protecting victims | Delay in protecting victims |
| An eastern European man attended a police station to report an assault, and an appointment was made for him to return the following day when an interpreter would be present. The victim failed to attend until two days later. During an interview it became clear that he was being beaten and had been raped by men he worked for in a takeaway restaurant below the flat he rented. He worked excessive hours and although he received cash payments for this work, he paid most of this back to the shop owner in rent. | An eastern European man attended a police station to report an assault, and an appointment was made for him to return the following day when an interpreter would be present. The victim failed to attend until two days later. During an interview it became clear that he was being beaten and had been raped by men he worked for in a takeaway restaurant below the flat he rented. He worked excessive hours and although he received cash payments for this work, he paid most of this back to the shop owner in rent. |
| More effective questioning at the front desk during the initial contact would have helped to identify the seriousness of the offences and the immediate and continued risk facing the victim at his home address. | More effective questioning at the front desk during the initial contact would have helped to identify the seriousness of the offences and the immediate and continued risk facing the victim at his home address. |
| Too much focus on immigration status | Too much focus on immigration status |
| In January 2017, officers entered a suspected brothel being run by Chinese nationals and arrested a 48-year-old woman on suspicion of immigration offences. It emerged that she was present in the UK legally, and despite her not knowing where she was in the UK or having a key to the premises she was returned to the premises. | In January 2017, officers entered a suspected brothel being run by Chinese nationals and arrested a 48-year-old woman on suspicion of immigration offences. It emerged that she was present in the UK legally, and despite her not knowing where she was in the UK or having a key to the premises she was returned to the premises. |
| On the way she disclosed her fear of the man who ran the business, but she was left outside the property regardless. Other officers later expressed concern that she may be a victim of modern slavery and human trafficking, but by the time they returned the property had been vacated. The woman is now a missing person. | On the way she disclosed her fear of the man who ran the business, but she was left outside the property regardless. Other officers later expressed concern that she may be a victim of modern slavery and human trafficking, but by the time they returned the property had been vacated. The woman is now a missing person. |
| Failure to record modern slavery offences | Failure to record modern slavery offences |
| A police force received information from the environmental health department that it had recently inspected an Italian restaurant and found eight workers there being “treated as slaves”, receiving insufficient food and no pay. The state of their accommodation was described as poor. No modern slavery crimes were recorded by the force. | A police force received information from the environmental health department that it had recently inspected an Italian restaurant and found eight workers there being “treated as slaves”, receiving insufficient food and no pay. The state of their accommodation was described as poor. No modern slavery crimes were recorded by the force. |
| ‘Cancelling’ a crime | ‘Cancelling’ a crime |
| Five unaccompanied Vietnamese children – three girls and two boys – arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry and were arrested for immigration offences. The children were placed into foster care but went missing. The police considered that the girls may have been trafficked into the UK but did not seem to view the boys as also being potential trafficking victims. | Five unaccompanied Vietnamese children – three girls and two boys – arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry and were arrested for immigration offences. The children were placed into foster care but went missing. The police considered that the girls may have been trafficked into the UK but did not seem to view the boys as also being potential trafficking victims. |
| Police inquiries as part of the missing person investigation found that the children had used a mobile phone in a cafe and received a text suggesting they should travel to London. A phone number from which the text was sent was found to be connected to a Facebook group for Vietnamese nationals looking for work in nail bars. However, the girls were not found and they remain at risk of exploitation. No investigation was undertaken into modern slavery and human trafficking offences. | Police inquiries as part of the missing person investigation found that the children had used a mobile phone in a cafe and received a text suggesting they should travel to London. A phone number from which the text was sent was found to be connected to a Facebook group for Vietnamese nationals looking for work in nail bars. However, the girls were not found and they remain at risk of exploitation. No investigation was undertaken into modern slavery and human trafficking offences. |
| The crime was cancelled by the force crime registrar, with the rationale that “the report does not amount to an allegation of modern slavery within the UK. The subject’s asylum claim/status is being considered by the Home Office UKVI [visas and immigration] department. For the above reasons I am satisfied this matter should be cancelled on the basis that the crime was recorded in error.” | The crime was cancelled by the force crime registrar, with the rationale that “the report does not amount to an allegation of modern slavery within the UK. The subject’s asylum claim/status is being considered by the Home Office UKVI [visas and immigration] department. For the above reasons I am satisfied this matter should be cancelled on the basis that the crime was recorded in error.” |
| Police | Police |
| Slavery | Slavery |
| analysis | analysis |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on Google+ | Share on Google+ |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |