South Yorkshire Police joins neighbouring forces in war against modern day slavery

An event, hosted by West Yorkshire Police, brought together staff involved in investigating modern slavery and serious organised crime from South, West and North Yorkshire as well as Humberside.

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Detective Chief Superintendent James Abdy, Head of Crime for South Yorkshire Police, said: “It was great to get colleagues together to share and increase knowledge and resilience in the fight against modern slavery and human trafficking. “Here in South Yorkshire we have a dedicated anti-slavery team who work alongside partners to increase awareness, safeguard vulnerable victims and target offenders. “We are also working hard to build the intelligence picture around modern slavery, and need the public’s help to do so.

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The event was organised following on from the national Anti-Slavery Day on Friday, October 18.

Detective Inspector Vicky Wilson, of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “This was an event attended by senior officers and front line specialist practitioners to ensure our combined response to this horrific crime is as strong as possible.

“As criminals adapt so do we – we are always learning and developing our techniques and for example we had an input around how to best use Slavery and Trafficking Orders to disrupt offenders.

“If we are to stop modern slavery from happening and safeguard victims, we need both a strategic and an operational front line response.

“This event was about making sure our strategic response is as strong as it possibly can be.”

Report concerns to South Yorkshire Police by calling 101 or contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111.