Inside the raids revealing the appalling reality of modern slavery in UK carwashes – iNews

With a petrified look in his eyes, the carwash worker dropped his soapy sponge and ran down the street in panic when he saw police vans surround the forecourt. The only thought in the young mans mind was to flee yet he was one of the people the officers were there to potentially rescue.

For the specialists whose job is to find, stop and prevent modern slavery, this car-wash workers reaction is a common sight when they descend on the scenes of suspected exploitation.

The uppermost worry for many potential victims is being prosecuted themselves, especially if they are an illegal immigrant and sometimes they have been indoctrinated by their bosses.

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He looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, said Martin Plimmer, of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA), which led Operation Bronco at a car wash in Liverpool, last Wednesday.

i joined his team on its raid after it received a tip-off about suspected exploitation of workers. The allegations included that the employees were not being paid adequately, were being controlled by their bosses and had their identification documents takenaway.

The operation, supported by police officers from Merseyside Police, culminated in three suspected victims in their late teens and twenties being safeguarded and taken to a reception centre where they are continuing to receive specialist support.

Two men a 31-year-old Iranian national and a 24-year-old Iraqi national were arrested on suspicion of committing forced or compulsory labour offences under the Modern Slavery Act. The GLAA also conducted searches of their addresses. They have since been released but remain underinvestigation.

With victims afraid to speak out, modern slavery is one of the most serious crimes but also one of the hardest to investigate. Police records revealed that the number of modern slavery offences increased by more than 50 per cent from 3,412 cases in 2018 to 5,144 cases in 2019.

This coincided with a 68 per cent increase in calls to the modern slavery helpline in the same period of time. However, this is believed to be the tip of the iceberg as many other cases go unreported.

There are myriad reasons why potential victims of modern-day slavery run as soon as they see police or members of the GLAA, explains Ian Waterfield, the organisations head of enforcement.

Victims, particularly those who havent got a regulated immigration status, are fearful of authority, he says.

They think were only interested in their immigration status. But thats not the case. First and foremost, they are victims and thats all Im interested in. We want to know their situation and how we can help them. Some of the stories we hear are truly horrendous.

The tip-off came via a call to the Modern Slavery Helpline. The people working at this car wash have no protective equipment or waterproof clothing, Waterfieldsaid.

Our intelligence shows they are working 10 to 12-hour days, seven days a week with no breaks. We think there have been at least 12 workers here at various points. If you look at the number of cars coming through and the money coming in, it doesnt add up.

After the GLAA and the police surrounded the Liverpool carwash, the teams first priority was to separate potential victims from suspected exploiters. Customers were asked to leave and the man believed to hold a supervisory role showed his anger as he was taken inside to be questioned.

One worker recounted to investigators how he had been transported to the UK in the back of a lorry, then the boot of a car, before beginning work at the Liverpool car wash.

We ask carwash workers how they were recruited, how they came to this country, what they are paid and how they are treated at work, said Martin Plimmer, a senior investigating officer for the North West.

Two men were found guilty of running a modern slavery ring at a carwash in Carlisle last month.

Defrim Paci, 42, of Nottinghamshire and Sitar Ali, 33, of Carlisle, brought Romanian workers to the UK and made them work long hours for little pay, Carlisle Crown Court heard.

The workers at Shiny Car Wash told how they had their identity cards taken from them until their travel-cost debt was repaid and said they were living in very dirty, crowded accommodation with only 20 in their pockets after working 11 hours a day, six days a week.

Some workers described having no breaks and having skin burned by cleaning chemicals and of receiving no protective clothing.

Paci and Ali have been remanded in custody for sentencing on 30 July.

Some of them have come from war-torn countries, from very difficult circumstances, and we hear some awful tales. There are people who die in the backs of lorries or freeze to death. The conditions are horrible as they are concealed to avoid detection and have very little air, water or food.

Exploiters are very clever and manipulative, and target workers who are vulnerable.

This is a sad reality across thecountry, Waterfield said. I cant imagine how appalling it must be to come on an incredibly long journey, bundled in the back of a lorry, separated from friends andfamily.

They are sold a dream of life in the UK but are just used for cheap labour and as a money-making mechanism. Some owe money to their exploiters and are trying to pay that off while others are trying to send money home to family.

Fear is instilled into exploited workers. They may be instructed to run if they see police or authority figures or are given a rehearsed script to follow, Plimmer said. We often find victims are told lies by the exploiter so they are fearful of the police and terrified of being arrested and taken to prison.

Even if theyve done nothing wrong, exploiters build on their fear and tell them that if they see the police, to run away or say nothing. Or they give them a very detailed script, saying they are working the correct number of hours for the correct money. Exploiters know the minimum wage, so they feed them the figures.

For the workers, theres often a fear of violence to them or their families. They are spun stories of police and authorities being corrupt and how they are having to pay them. Unfortunately, in some of the war-torn countries people come from, police corruption does exist, so they believe them.

Other tactics that exploiters sometimes use are taking identity documents, such as birth certificates, from workers or getting them to pay a fee perhaps around 200 to cover sick pay. Taking away ID documents stops them working anywhere else and ties them to that business, Plimmer said.

Without them, they cant go to a legitimate business, so they are stuck and controlled.

It is estimated there are around 8,000 to 10,000 carwashes in the UK. While many are legitimate operations, Ian Waterfield says the problem is that they are unregistered and unregulated, leaving them open to abuse.

Workers are prone to exploitation because they are unregulated businesses that pop up on waste ground or the forecourts of closed petrol stations.

The pandemic and lockdowns mean that the workforce may have dispersed into other sectors and now that consumer demand is to increase, additional workers are needed. We believe there are significant levels of exploitation within hand carwashes. Waterfield tells i.

Anyone can set up a carwash, it is a cash business and theres a lot of casual labour. We often find people sleeping on the premises in places like this and being controlled.

Workers are exploited by not being paid properly, working long hours and some working conditions may be unsafe. In many cases, they are charged a fee to come into the UK and are put into work at a car wash to pay off their debts.

Victims are predominantly male and between the ages of 18 and 35. They are unlikely to be paid the National Minimum Wage and the carwashes may offer competitive prices, but employ many workers. On average, this is around five, but can be as many as 40 in larger businesses.

Withheld wages, excessive working hours and debt bondage are alsoreported.

The ultimate goal of the GLAA is to prevent and stop modern slavery and to help victims but the team says it cannot do this without the publics help. If a car wash is really cheap, there is a reason and in these circumstances, it is at the expense of a person, warns Waterfield.

If people spot workers at a car wash looking bedraggled, with no protective equipment, or are worried they are being exploited, wed urge them to contact us. As human beings, everyone seems to want everything for the cheapest possible price but if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

He adds: We want to make the UK a place where the opportunities to exploit people for their labour are eradicated and people are paid a fair days wage for an honest days work in the safest possible conditions.

Report any concerns or suspicions about car washes or modern slaveryto:

The GLAAs intelligence team Mon to Fri from 9am to 5pm on: 0800 4320804 or e-mail: intelligence@gla.gov.uk

Call the Modern Slavery helpline run by the charity Unseern which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week on: 08000 121 700

Use the Unseen app

Visit the Safe Car Wash app developed by the Clewer Initiative

Call Crimestoppers on: 0800 555111

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Inside the raids revealing the appalling reality of modern slavery in UK carwashes - iNews