Human Trafficking

A major human trafficking operation, believed to be the largest of its kind in the UK, has been uncovered in Northamptonshire this week, with local police arresting seven men and a woman on suspicion of human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation in South Lincolnshire, Kettering and the Midlands area.

The arrests follow an investigation by more than 200 staff across 9 organisation including the East Midlands Foreign National Crime Team, UK Human Trafficking Centre, UK Borders Agency, Serious Organised Crime Agency and the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) and Northamptonshire Police.Over 60 Eastern European migrant workers, who were picking leeks in a field as part of an organised gang, are being treated as potential witnesses and victims.

Operation Ruby, centres on allegations that people were recruited through advertisements and agencies in Eastern Europe and came to the UK and promised work.Upon arrival, it is thought that their documents were confiscated, while much of their wages were withheld to account for housing and transport costs.

Paul Whitehouse, chairman of the GLA, said: "The action taken today shows that no gangmaster can get away with this abuse, the GLA and our colleagues in other agencies are watching and will deal with the unscrupulous individuals that use their control over the lives of their workers to cause misery."

Detective Superintendent Glyn Timmins, director of Investigations at Northamptonshire Police and part of the Force's new Protective Services Command, who co-ordinated today's operation, said: "This has been a co-ordinated, large-scale operation, as part of an investigation into the activities of what we believe is an organised crime group that has exploited people as cheap labour in fields across this region..."The fact that so many organisations have come together to act in this way is a demonstration of how seriously we take our responsibility to support people who have been exploited in this way and to disrupt this unacceptable activity."