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Human Trafficking

Volume 486: debated on Thursday 15 January 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many victims of human trafficking have been rescued by the Metropolitan Police human trafficking unit in each of the last two years. (243326)

Figures from the Metropolitan police indicate that in 2007, there were 39 crime reports involving a potential 42 victims of human trafficking. Up to 1 December 2008, there had been 31 reports alleging trafficking for sexual exploitation involving 34 possible victims.

It is not possible to break down the number of victims rescued solely by the activities of the MPS trafficking team, which is one part of the Met’s wider commitment to tackling organised immigration crime including human trafficking.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) arrests and (b) convictions there have been for human trafficking offences as a result of the activity of the Metropolitan Police human trafficking unit in each of the last two years. (243327)

Figures from the Metropolitan police indicate that in 2007-08, the MPS human trafficking unit made a total of 33 arrests for human trafficking offences The figures from the Met indicate that to date there have been eight convictions within the last two years for human trafficking with six others being convicted of related offences such as controlling prostitution.

It is not possible to detail the outcome of all cases as many are still progressing through the criminal justice system.