Police target West Yorkshire businesses in immigration crime crackdown - and arrests made

Seven people have been arrested and thousands of pounds worth of illicit cigarettes and drugs have been seized as part of a crackdown on organised immigration crime.

The intensification week from June 15 to June 20, targeted cash-intensive businesses including car washes, restaurants and corner shops across West Yorkshire.

Teams from Modern Slavery Human Trafficking, Neighbourhood Policing, Trading Standards, the Home Office and charitable partners have been out to disrupt 31 high-street hotspots across the region.

During their investigations people were found to be living in unfit conditions, working on expired visas and being paid below the national minimum wage.

Officers also seized 2kg of cannabis worth about £7,000, three vehicles, and around £68,000 worth of illicit cigarettes.

Organised crime groups often exploit vulnerable people by facilitating illegal entry into the UK, exposing them to dangerous journeys and exploitative conditions.

In West Yorkshire over 50 referrals have been made to the NCCU (National Command and Control Unit for Immigration) and £300,000 in fines were issued to business owners for immigration offences.

Operation Lockstream is a national initiative that works to identify these networks, protect those at risk, and ensure offenders are brought to justice.

Detective Inspector Victoria Daniel-Thomas, from the Modern Slavery Human Trafficking team, said: "This is a nationwide issue, and the intensification week highlights the ongoing work that our officers and partners do to protect our communities in West Yorkshire.

"Organised crime is connected to violence, exploitation and anti-social behaviour and we aim to identify and protect anyone at risk.

"We will continue to work with our partners to target criminal network supply lines, transport routings, finances and their wider business models. Overall, the aim of activity like this is to make West Yorkshire a difficult place for these criminal gangs to operate, and ensure the county remains a great place to live, work and visit."

Detective Chief Inspector Jim Horsfield, of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit, added: “Organised immigration crime is a complex challenge and has been recognised in the UK as a national high-priority threat.

"Officers from Yorkshire and Humberside are committed to working together to combat this.”

Spotting the signs of potential organised immigration crime victims:

• No access to ID documents

• Physical or psychological abuse

• Debt bonded – paid less than minimum wage/ not paid

• Transported to and from work in vans, often in groups

• Being picked up and dropped off to work at unusual times

• Working very long hours

• Poor accommodation/overcrowding

• No formal contract of employment

• Inadequate work equipment

• Often accompanied/ chaperoned

• Being spoken for

• May not know their own address

• Poor language skills

If you see something that doesn’t look right, if you are worried about someone, or something looks suspicious, please report to West Yorkshire Police by calling 101 or online using www.westyorkshire.police.uk/livechat.