Taskforce jointly tackles modern slavery in Telford

The group, which is made people from police and fire forces as well trading standards, visited 15 car washes, food venues and houses of multi-occupancy to make sure nobody was being exploited.

The activity was part of Operation Aidant, a national campaign aiming to raise awareness of modern slavery offences such as labour exploitation and human trafficking.

Sergeant Ed Pontin, of Telford's Harm Reduction Hub, said: "We know modern slavery is taking place right across the country and want to make sure, together with our partner agencies, we're doing all we can in Telford to tackle this issue and ensure those who are among the most vulnerable in our communities have help and support to break from this exploitation."

Angie Astley, assistant director for customer and neighbourhood services at Telford & Wrekin Council, said "Our officers have been working really hard around the clock to ensure that citizens are kept safe.

"I am really happy that as partners agencies we are coming together, pooling our resources and expertise, and jointly tackling the scourge of modern slavery as part of Operation Aidant."

Over the past few months police have also been working with fuel stations to encourage them to sign up to West Mercia Police's We Don't Buy Crime scheme.

As part of the initiative staff are trained to spot the signs someone may be a victim of or at risk of being criminally exploited.

Due to its success, it is also being rolled out to restaurants and coffee shops.

Sergeant Pontin added: "Our local communities are our eyes and ears, they see and hear what is going in their local area and we want to make sure they are empowered to do something if they suspect something untoward, such as modern slavery or exploitation, is taking place."

The number of potential victims of modern slavery in the UK has increased year on year, with nearly 7,000 cases identified and referred to the National Referral Mechanism in 2018 – a 36 per cent increase on 2017.

As a result, the Prime Minister made modern slavery a priority, setting up a dedicated Modern Slavery Taskforce to help reach the UN global goal of eradicating modern slavery by 2030.