UK looks towards anti-trafficking task force

The UK government is expected to set up a national anti-trafficking task force. The move comes after the success of the four month long “Operation Pentameter” which has rescued 80 people who are believed to have been trafficked into sexual exploitation and also arrested 200 people in connection with human trafficking offences. A Pentameter spokeswoman said:
“We have rescued 80 alleged victims and it could well be the tip of the iceberg.
“That’s 80 people in a matter of months when only 14 were identified previously since the Sexual Offences Act 2003.
“We’ve turned over a stone here and in some respects we can’t put it back.”
The people rescued have come from countries in Eastern Europe such as Lithuania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Poland. They have also come from countries as far away as Brazil and Zimbabwe. With such a policing success it is important that the government also supports the law enforcement agencies by allowing proper care of victims after their release, including the option of staying in the country if they fear to return home.