Met launches human trafficking unit

The Metropolitan Police is launching a human trafficking unit which will combat organised criminal networks involved in the trafficking of people and provide an improved service to victims.

Speaking ahead of the unit’s official launch on March 7, Detective Chief Inspector John Kielty, who will head up the unit, spoke to Police Professional about its aims and objectives.

He said the unit is an enhancement of the Met’s response to trafficking and builds on problems highlighted by Operation Pentameter.

“The Met already has a response to trafficking, mainly through its customs vice unit and child abuse investigation command. The new trafficking unit, which coincides with the bi-centenary of the abolition of slavery, represents the Met’s efforts to tackle a serious area of criminality.”

The unit, which forms part of the Met’s specialist and economic crime command, will comprise of a detective inspector, two detective sergeants and eight detective constables. DCI Kielty said the team will provide a focus for the Met and give expert advice to boroughs regarding trafficking issues.

Although the unit will be fighting trafficking locally, it will work closely with the UK Human Trafficking Centre, providing intelligence and a better understanding of trafficking operations nationally.

DCI Kielty added: “The task of gathering intelligence related to trafficking is a key reason for the unit being set up. The majority of intelligence on sexual exploitation arrived as a result of Pentameter and we admit that the intelligence picture isn’t brilliant. Our main focus points will be to improve that.”

The unit will aim to improve intelligence and crime reporting systems and will actively engage with communities to promote their services. DCI Kielty said the unit will target established communities already affected by trafficking and emerging communities that are threatened by trafficking.

“We are starting to raise our profile, explaining that we are now there to support victims. There is a mistrust within certain communities about what the authorities are capable of doing for victims and we want to give them confidence in what services are available.”

Operation Pentameter and investigations carried out by the Met’s vice unit reveal that trafficking victims in the UK are primarily from the Baltic states and, more recently, South East Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia. Other rescued victims have been from China and North West Africa.

The UK is becoming more of a target for trafficking groups and DCI Kielty believes it is an area on which the entire police service must gain a clearer picture.

By working closely with the Immigration Service, the unit wants to ensure rescued victims are treated seriously; as victims of serious and organised crime.

DCI Kielty added: “We shall also be working with schools and social services, so they can potentially start to identify victims of trafficking.”

“We shall be raising awareness on the front line so not just police officers but police staff who may encounter a victim of trafficking can understand what a potential victim of trafficking is going through.”

The unit will deploy a range of tactics to combat the traffickers, such as assets recovery. DCI Kielty said: “Like any investigation into an organised criminal network, if you can’t prove and convict on a prime offence, seizing criminal assets is one method of dismantling criminal activity.”

Christine Beddoe, director of End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and the Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT) UK, welcomes the additional resources that the Met’s trafficking team brings.

She said: “We hope that the Met can take a leading role in human trafficking but that their efforts are coordinated with other police forces and child protection specialists across the country.”