Pentameter 2 is launched to tackle human trafficking

Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary, Dr Tim Brain, has said Operation Pentameter 2 aims to “discover the extent of human trafficking and put in place whatever means available” to tackle the crime.

The Gold commander for the operation added that the new phase of Pentameter is a G6 project being led by both the UK and Poland.

“We have been working for approximately six months in the planning stages for Pentameter 2 and all 55 police forces in the UK will be working on this issue along with other law enforcement agencies.

“All intelligence gathered on trafficking is now being fed into the Holmes computer system and this is the largest ever deployment of that facility.”

Pentameter 2 is a ‘victim focused operation’. The mains strands of the operation are:

• Intelligence – Europol to lead
• Enforcement Operations – the Netherlands and the UK to lead
• Awareness raising, including media – Ireland to lead
• Victim Care – UK and Ireland to lead

A victim’s strategy for Pentameter 2 has been devised to try and ensure a consistent end-to-end victim-centred approach during the campaign.

This includes sensitising front-line responders to the indicators that could suggest an individual is a victim of trafficking to help with early identification and providing advice and guidance for police.

Other measures such as providing access to emergency and longer-term support and giving victims with irregular immigration status 30 days to reflect and consider their options has been questioned by a number of children charities.

Police Professional put some of their concerns to the Gold group members. One area of concern that has been raised is: “There are conflicts around the 90 day stay permitted to asylum applicants, which can hinder police investigations and the Borders and Immigration Agency (BIA) is resisting issuing residency permits for victim of trafficking; victims are asylum seekers before a victim of crime.”

However, a member of the Gold group said that the guidance for BIA staff during Pentameter 2 is clear.

“Identifying victims takes precedence over any immigration enforcement action. There may be immigration consequences to being (or not being) a victim of trafficking but these only begin once it has been established by a competent authority that someone is a victim or not according the Council of Europe Convention against trafficking definition.

“There is no reason in principle why a victim of trafficking should not qualify for asylum,” the Gold member added. “However, being a victim of trafficking does not automatically mean that an individual qualifies for asylum or that residence in the UK is appropriate. Each case is considered on its own merits, on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with the UK’s international and domestic obligations.”