Keep the human trafficking unit open

By Mary Honeyball MEP

The issue of human trafficking was raised this week in the Lords by the independent peer Lady Young. She has led a campaign to close a gap in the law which, she claims, prevents the authorities from dealing effectively with the issue.

As the MEP for London I was particularly concerned to learn that the Met Police Force, which polices the most populous city in the European Union, is proposing to close its dedicated human trafficking unit citing a lack of resources. The consequences of doing this will reverberate across the globe.

I have launched a campaign, which you can support by signing my petition to stop the proposal to close the unit from going any further. The petition will be presented by me to Sir Paul Stephenson, the Met Police commissioner and to London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Human Trafficking is the third largest international crime after arms and drugs trading and the unit, which is internationally recognised as being one of the best of its kind, is essential to catching the perpetrators of this crime.

If the proposed changes are given the green light from the commissioner then the unit’s work will in future be given to Met officers who don’t have specific knowledge or training in this area.
Opponents argue that it is too expensive to maintain in relation to the number of people who are caught and brought to justice, but as Lady Young pointed out, loopholes in the law mean that catching the perpetrators is not a straight forward matter.

Fighting this crime effectively and bringing these people to justice requires the efforts of specially trained officers and the resources of this much-needed unit.

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