The Government’s plans to combat human trafficking are outlined in the UK Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking. The plan is updated annually and can be found at:
www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk
The most recent update of the plan, published in October 2009 details 38 actions to tackle trafficking across four key areas of: prevention; investigation, law enforcement and prosecution; providing protection and assistance to adult victims of trafficking; and child victims.
The formal identification system introduced under the national referral mechanism came into force from 1 April 2009.
In 2008 referrals of potential victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation were referred to the Poppy Project who in 2008 received a total 293 referrals.
The Government's overall approach to tackling human trafficking is outlined in the UK Action Plan:
www.crimereduction.homeoffice.gov.uk/humantrafficking004.htm
As part of its implementation of the Council of Europe convention on action against trafficking in human beings the Government established in April 2009 a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) to identify and support victims. 527 men, women and children were referred through this multi-agency framework in its first nine months of operation. ‘First Responders’ in designated organisations such as the police, local authorities, and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) refer potential victims of trafficking to trained specialists in ‘Competent Authorities’ within the UK Human Trafficking Centre and UKBA who determine whether individuals qualify as victims according to the convention.
The Government has rolled out online guidance on trafficking and the NRM, including providing information and advice for frontline practitioners. For children, a trafficking tool kit is currently being piloted in 13 English and Welsh local authorities. This aims to improve first responders' use of the assessment tool kit, which has been designed to help them identify potential child victims of trafficking.
Our launch with Comic Relief of the NSPCC Child Trafficking Advice and Information Line (CTAIL) in November 2007 has succeeded in actively supporting practitioners on how best to identify and safeguard children suspected of being trafficked as well as making a positive difference to outcomes in individual case referrals.
Operation Paladin is a Metropolitan police-led operation involving immigration officers and social workers. It is based at Heathrow airport and the United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA) Asylum Screening Unit in Croydon. It also has a presence at the Eurostar terminal in London. The team specialises in identifying and safeguarding vulnerable children suspected of being trafficked and undertakes proactive and preventative initiatives against the trafficking of children. It also investigates specific trafficking and migration offences.
The UKBA has developed human trafficking training for frontline staff to raise their awareness of trafficking, and to help staff recognise and identify indicators. The UK Human Trafficking Centre, in conjunction with the National Policing Improvement Agency, has developed training for police officers. The training covers all forms of human trafficking and has been incorporated into programmes for all new officers as well as specific programmes such as initial detective training and those aimed at police community support officers, domestic violence, roads policing and public protection programmes.