Action on Anti-Slavery Day

As part of Anti-Slavery Day (Monday, 18 October 2021), officers made proactive visits to a number of hotels in North Wales to raise awareness of modern slavery in the hospitality trade.

Hotels have been closed for the majority of the last year and now that they have reopened, there are lots of new members of staff who may not be aware of how to spot modern slavery and exploitation.

Modern slavery includes forced labour, sex trafficking, county lines exploitation and domestic servitude. In the UK, it is estimated that there could be around 100,000 victims of modern slavery. This includes men, women and children and could take place on any street in the UK.

On Monday, local officers visited hotels to deliver posters and speak to staff about the signs of modern slavery and how they can report any concerns. They were made aware of how premises could be used for criminal activities to take place, such as forced labour exploitation, pop-up brothels and human trafficking.

Signs include:

• Isolation
• Restricted freedom of movement
• Reluctance to seek help
• Physical appearance- malnourished, unkempt, unsuitable clothes for work.
• Poor living conditions
• Unusual travel arrangements

Detective Inspector Daf Curry said: “Modern slavery can and does happen all over the UK.

“We targeted hotels and guest houses in this operation as they are private spaces for criminality to be carried out unseen by others.

“By training hotel staff on how to spot the signs of exploitation, they can help keep their own staff safe and help us to disrupt this criminality by reporting any suspicious behaviour to the police”.

Learn more on the Modern Slavery and Exploitation Helpline website.