Police patrol Milton Keynes searching for signs of modern slavery in special 18-day operation

Police in MK have launched a special 18 day operation to deal with modern slavery and human trafficking alongside their normal duties.

As part of Operation Aident, officers will be targeting car washes, beauty establishments, massage parlours and also the transport industry.

They will be working with Milton Keynes Council’s environmental health and taxi licencing departments to ensure nobody is being taken advantage of.

A similar initiative earlier this summer led to 57 premises across the Thames Valley area being visited. Out of these, five people were identified as potential victims and safeguarded.

Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain. It covers a wide range of abuse and exploitation including sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, forced labour, criminal exploitation and organ harvesting.

Victims of modern slavery can be any age, gender, nationality and ethnicity. They are tricked or threatened into work and may feel unable to leave or report the crime through fear or intimidation. They may not recognise themselves as a victim.

Human trafficking involves adults and children being traded so they can be exploited by others for commercial gain, while forced labour is when victims are forced to work against their will, often working very long hours for little or no pay, in dire conditions under verbal or physical threats of violence.

Both of these examples can happen in many sectors of the economy, say police.

Modern slavery can also consist of sexual exploitation, where victims are pressurised into prostitution, escort work and pornography. Women and children make up the majority of victims, but men can also be affected.

Another form is criminal exploitation, where victims are forced into crimes such as cannabis cultivation or pickpocketing against their will and hand over the proceeds of the crime to the people controlling them.

To report a suspicion or seek advice you can contact the Modern Slavery Helpline confidentially on 08000 121 700. This is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You can report modern slavery to police at any time by calling 101 or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.