Crewe Local Policing Unit supported nationwide week of action

Crewe Local Policing Unit’s Exploitation Team visited local hauliers as part of a nationwide week of action on modern slavery and human trafficking.

Traffickers sometimes target unsuspecting lorry drivers to transport victims of modern slavery into the country hidden in lorries, making the haulier community particularly vulnerable to human trafficking, especially those who travel across the continent.

The week of action led by the National Crime Agency’s Modern Slavery Trafficking Unit aimed to provide UK hauliers with help and support about this type of exploitation, and guidance on how hauliers can securely store their cargo to reduce the risk of victims being transported.

DC Richard Garrett from Crewe’s Exploitation Team said: “It’s vital that we help our hauliers understand the risks so they can be vigilant and help us protect vulnerable victims who are being trafficked at the hands of unscrupulous crime gangs, often in dangerous and life threatening situations.

“Operation Impacted was Cheshire’s response spearheaded by the Crewe Exploitation Team and assisted by officers and PCSOs from Crewe and Sandbach beat teams as well as the Constabulary’s Commercial Vehicle Unit.

“As well as visiting more than 25 local hauliers in Crewe, Middlewich, Sandbach and Alsager to offer support and talk about the risks they faced and how to protect themselves, we visited the service stations in Sandbach speaking to over 40 lorry drivers. We also took the opportunity to provide Crime Prevention advice utilising information provided by National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NAVCIS).  We were supported by our Commercial Vehicle Unit who stopped a total of 31 vehicles to ensure hauliers were staying safe on the county’s road network with only two hauliers subject to outstanding fines from UK Border Force."

Anyone with any information or concerns about modern slavery should contact Cheshire Police on  101 or via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/   or you can contact the Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700.