SCD 9SCD 9

Human Exploitation andHuman Exploitation andOrganised Crime OCUOrganised Crime OCU

Inspector Jon BirchInspector Jon Birch

22ndnd July 2010 July 2010

Background to SCD9Trafficking and Immigration review late 2009

Identified duplication of effort between MPS teams

Human Trafficking Team funding due to end

No single point of contact for trafficking

Need to have centre of excellence

Need to have strong and clear links with partners

Need to continue support for other areas of exploitation

Joined Specialist Crime Directorate 1st April 2010

Single point of contact for trafficking from that date

Partnership contacts• Barnardos

• NSPCC

• Children's Society

• ECPAT

• Stop The Traffik

• Croydon Community Against Trafficking

• London Councils

• CEOP – Child Exploitation Online Protection Centre

• Refugee Council

and many more….

Trafficking and Prostitution UnitTwo proactive teams investigating human

trafficking and organised criminal networks controlling prostitution

Brothels team responsible for intelligence gathering in off-street premises

Olympic boroughs team working with five footprint boroughs as 2012 approaches

Crime squad assisting borough officers with street prostitution, kerb crawling and carding

Trafficking and Prostitution Unit

Operational priorities:

• Children

• Human trafficking

• Violence and coercion

• Organised criminal networks

Interventions

• Intelligence gathering visits to brothels across London

• Proactive operations

• Priority given to operations involving children

• Intelligence - led street sweeps

• Fast - time visits to brothels where children are suspected

• Publicity around child sexual exploitation

A Child’s experience

• Victim 16 years old, befriended by male in Lithuania

• Deceived into believing male is boyfriend who pays for trip to UK for a ‘weekend break’

• On arrival in UK he leaves for a meeting and hands victim to ‘friends’ to 'look after her’

• Boyfriend never seen again

A Child’s experience

• Taken to Sheffield with males

• Threats made to her and her family if she didn’t provide sexual services for money

• Moved from Sheffield and sold to Albanian males in London

• Placed into brothel in London

Operational Start Point

• Police contacted by BBC following concerns by mother

who had reported daughter missing in Lithuania

• Mother has received money transfer from Hounslow in London

• Police conduct immediate enquiries and rescue victim from brothel in Hounslow

Operational Start Point

• Officers return victim to NGO in Lithuania for safety and conduct full debrief of victim

• Operation begins to identify traffickers and controllers involved

• Identifies series of brothels in London linked to traffickers of victim

Investigation Established:

Series of brothels identified in Hounslow

5 Albanians identified running the criminal network.

15 – 20 women working in the premises.

Each earning between £300 - £700 a day for traffickers.

Arrests

21 victims identified and rescued.

Other victims identified through debriefs

£35,000 cash found in safe house.

Money transfers to foreign bank accounts identified and seized.

Flamur DeMarku

18yrs

imprisonment

Agron DeMarku

Izzet Fejzullahu 18yrs imprisonment

14 yrs

imprisonment

Bedri DeMarku

8 yrs Xhevair DeMarku

imprisonment 5 yrs imprisonment

Child trafficking case study 1• Identified criminal network recruiting children

from Africa

• Forced into prostitution and worked across the EU

• UK identified as a trafficking staging post

• Victim identified in prison for document offences. Attended crown court with agency and assisted victim into accommodation and negotiated withdrawal of document offence charges

• Arrests and charges anticipated shortly

Child trafficking case study 2

• Identified criminal network within the UK

• Children trafficked both within the UK and from outside

• Very large sums of money involved

• Trial later this year

Child trafficking case study 3

• Victim brought to UK from Africa

• 'Employed' as domestic servant

• Denied access to passport

• Sleeping on mat on the floor

• Not allowed to leave house unless escorted

• Looking after children, cooking and cleaning

• Charges pending

Abusive and Extreme Images UnitProactive team investigating the production and

distribution of obscene material, including indecent images of children

Computer Crime Unit investigating those who share indecent images of children via the internet.

Operation CaimanOver 250 suspects identified since Jan 2007,

including:

• London 2008 - arrest for 500,000 indecent images, largest collection found by to date.

• London – 2009 - arrest for possessing indecent images. Had also sexually assaulted a 13 year old neighbour and had set up a video camera to covertly film people using his toilet.

AnyQuestions?