Safer Streets Spotlight: The team safeguarding from sexual exploitation

FORCEWIDE

Do you suspect something isn’t quite right at a property within your area?

Does it seem like there are always new people moving in, or does the property have frequent visitors who don’t stay for a long time?

Officers in our Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) team are cracking down on pop-up brothels in our area, and your information could prove crucial in helping protect those who are being sexually exploited.

We spoke to Detective Sergeant Richard Kirk who tells us more about sexual exploitation and the crimes associated with it to help members of our community understand it a bit more to be able to report it and help safeguard some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

What is sexual exploitation?

Sexual exploitation is the term we use when a person is forced into performing sexual services without their consent. Six million people are believed to be victims of sexual exploitation worldwide, and sadly of those 99% are women or girls.

The victims are forced through threat and fear to perform sexual services invariably for men. Payment is made but it is always the exploiters who benefit financially from the transaction not the victim.

It is believed that one in three men use the services of women for their own sexual gratification.

Many of the victims we encounter are not registered with doctors, and have often not seen one in months, if not longer. As a result, they are often carrying ailments that are easily passed between sexual partners as many are forced into high-risk sexual activity meaning these ailments are easily passed on.

Our work around sexual exploitation is part of our daily business, and we are constantly active in the community safeguarding exploited women and disrupting the exploiters.

Are we seeing an increase in sexual exploitation in our area?

Much like other areas of policing, we do have busier periods and as it’s holiday season at the moment, we are noticing an increase in activity especially in Hull, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.

This is potentially driven by the tourist trade, and we do see trends and subsequently take a proactive approach. We also link in with colleagues across the country as trends are noticed across police forces and partners, people are trafficked around the country, and those links are made so we can collaboratively tackle crimes of this nature across borders.

These brothels are often on streets surrounded by unwitting families. However, some of those neighbours might have noticed something that is not quite right but may be unaware it is a brothel or decide not to report it because of the perception that ‘things like that don’t happen around here’.

We can sometimes walk around wearing rose-tinted glasses without seeing what is right in front of us, but I would encourage people to look again. What do you really see?

How difficult is it to engage with those being exploited?

It is extremely hard to engage with victims of these kind of crimes because so often we quickly learn that they don’t actually recognize themselves as victims in the first place.

We want to stress that we’re trying to safeguard the women – and more often than not victims of sexual exploitation are unfortunately women - not arrest, prosecute, or deport them. We want to understand what they’re going through and try to increase their trust in us so we can help improve their situation and stop them being exploited. Often, they don’t even realise they are being exploited because they are forced into a false sense of security where they hugely rely on their exploiters to protect them.

This is particularly the case where we have a lot of foreign nationals who have moved to another country and are made to feel like they have no one else to turn to apart from their exploiters. They are often under constant threat from their exploiter and may fear that they will be arrested or deported if the police find out, rather than knowing they can be signposted to specific partner agencies who can safeguard and support them properly.

A recent example was when, as part of a routine safeguarding visit to see a woman suspected to have been trafficked for sexual exploitation, it was quickly established that there was no record of her entering the UK and she could not provide her own ID documents when asked. One of the signs pointing towards human trafficking and sexual exploitation is when those involved do not have access to their own ID, and so this immediately raised alarm bells with the team.

Officers searched the premises and discovered what was believed to be a firearm and the woman was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm. Further enquiries swiftly concluded that it was in fact an imitation firearm, and the teams discussed at length all the safeguarding that could be offered to her.

However, unfortunately she would not consent to our assistance which is what we see all too often when women in similar circumstances do not recognize themselves as victims.

Not only this, but during our enquiries, at least three men arrived at the premises expecting to pay for sexual services with her, another clear indication that she had no control over her own appointments which is sadly another sign of exploitation.

What support is out there for victims of sexual exploitation?

If a woman identifies herself as a victim of exploitation, we are able to offer the assistance of local support services immediately.

This would include housing and health support through the invaluable partnerships we have within our communities.

In the long term, we can obtain support to enable victims to rebuild their lives. This support include access to relevant legal advice, accommodation, protection and independent emotional and practice help through many outreach programmes and health service providers.

What is your overall message to members of the public?

My overall message is to stay vigilant and know how to spot the signs.

• Limited activities usually associated with new people moving into a property (e.g. no removals)
• Limited, or scarcely, furnished properties where is appears no one actually lives there
• Multiple women living at the address, or who may be brought to and taken from the address by an individual
• Multiple vehicles visiting the property at any one time
• Many frequent visitors, usually men, who don’t stay for long periods of time
• Shop workers - if you notice the same women frequenting your convenience stores to deposit cash, then this is a sign they may be being exploited. Talk to the women out of human curiosity and try to ascertain what might be going on
• Taxi drivers – you may see the same women regularly asking to be dropped off at multiple different addresses or meeting with different men, this could be another sign. Again, talk to the women and if you think something suspicious is going on, report it to us

Remember the women who are being exploited are human beings; they are someone’s daughter, mother, sister. They should not be abused or exploited. No one should. They’re vulnerable, and they need to be safeguarded.

Just look again. If you suspect any suspicious activity or any possible signs of exploitation, modern slavery or human trafficking please report it:

• On our non-emergency number 101
• In an emergency always call 999
• Remain anonymous by reporting to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
• Via the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700