Trafficking victims 'may avoid going to police due to legal fears'

Published on Tuesday 26 January 2010 21:50

VICTIMS of human trafficking may not be coming forward because of fears over their legal status, senior police officers said yesterday.

The issue was raised during a Holyrood investigation into the economic impact of migration and people smuggling.

Chief Superintendent David Stewart, from the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos), said: "The concern from Acpos's perspective relates to the victims' side of it, the challenges that we present these people in terms of coming forward to the police and being prepared to give evidence."

He said Strathclyde Police has a unit to tackle trafficking, which works with other UK agencies.

Politicians have said trafficking, particularly in the illegal sex industry, may increase in Glasgow because of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Mr Stewart said police are targeting leaders of organised crime but conceded that information on the victims of human trafficking will often have to come from third parties.

"If someone is being trafficked it generally tends to mean they may not be legal within the country," he said. "We understand the reluctance of people to come forward, particularly in relation to the sex trade."

Acpos says it costs about 3,000 to support a victim of trafficking. Translation costs have more than doubled in some police force areas in recent years as different communities become established. Mr Stewart said the additional costs were "comparatively small" overall.

Due to its underground nature the extent of the trafficking problem is difficult to gauge, but a recent Scottish Government report found that 79 victims of human trafficking came into contact with the law between April 2007 and March 2008.

Organised crime groups from Lithuania were also identified as operating in Scotland, trafficking young men to shoplift.