Spotlight on traffik nightmare

Detective Chief Inspector Sarah Bodell of Wiltshire Police urged the public to be aware of trafficking during an event hosted by campaign group Stop The Traffik.

"There will be trafficked individuals in Swindon, " she said.

"We are predominantly looking at sexual exploitation. Individuals are being used as prostitutes against their will."

Stop The Traffik held the awareness event at Bath University Oakfield Campus last night to show communities how they can do more to thwart the sale of human beings.

Det Insp Bodell said the police have dramatically changed how they tackle trafficking investigations in the last year.

"It is a hidden crime, which makes investigation difficult, " she said.

"Historically we looked at massage parlours and we went in with full uniform and enforcement.

"Now we have a victimcentric approach.

"It takes time for victims to come out and say what is happening.

"We often need evidence from the victims who are scared to come forward.

"If they are frightened it is hard to get the evidence.

"In order to get the criminals behind trafficking in court, we need to rescue the victims."

Police say they cannot put a number on how many people have been trafficked to Swindon, as the crime is so hard to track.

Ruth Dearnley of Stop The Traffik said: "If people are used relentlessly in the sex trade then their price goes down. A person may have been priced at £3,000 but that could go down to nothing.

"People are being kept against their will, in fear for their lives without payment."

She said trafficking where children are exploited for labour is rife with thousands being smuggled across borders.

She urged people to abstain from eating non-Fair Trade chocolate as children are exploited in cocoa plantations.

"It isn't a far away nightmare, " she said. "No one in the chocolate industry has ever denied it."

Swindon mayor and mayoress Michael and Sue Barnes also attended.

More information is available online at www. stopthetraffik. org/