The Bristol Post published Police in Bristol tackling surge in human trafficking and modern…

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POLICE in Bristol are tackling a surge in human trafficking and modern day slavery. Figures obtained by the Bristol Post show Avon and Somerset constabulary is dealing with 153 tip-offs so far this year, more than double the number for the whole of 2012.

A Freedom of Information request to the force's specialist human trafficking team also revealed arrests and charges have more than quadrupled.

The force is referring dozens of victims to the National Crime Agency each year and a number of high-profile cases have come to court.

Victims have been recorded from Eastern Europe, China, Vietnam and the UK and have been linked to forced labour, sexual exploitation, domestic slavery.

Court documents show victims in Bristol have ended up working in massage parlours, nail bars, car washes, travellers' sites and in growing numbers of cannabis factories.

Unseen, a Bristol charity offering protection to victims, said the new figures were "the tip of the iceberg" and warned they are set to increase further.

Avon and Somerset police said the new figures followed a trend which is set to continue. The human trafficking team said detection rates were increasing alongside public awareness after a national publicity campaign.

A Post investigation found:

the number of intelligence reports received by police has risen from 67 in 2012 to 153 (so far) this year.

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The Bristol Post published Police in Bristol tackling surge in human trafficking and modern...