Commissioner Baird Welcomes Commitment to Defeat Modern Slavery
2nd August 2016
Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird QC, has welcomed a ‘long-due’ commitment from the Government to lead international efforts to defeat Modern Slavery.
She said: “Slavery is a very real problem and I have campaigned for more to be done to tackle it for many years and welcome this long-due commitment and dedicated task-force. Slavery is not confined to the past, it’s not confined to other parts of the country or elsewhere in the world – it’s happening now, even here in the North East and we cannot be blind to it.
“It’s vital that we do all we can to raise the profile of the issue and encourage the reporting of cases. If our officers are made aware of it happening they can take action to ensure those who are caught up in this terrible exploitation can be rescued and access the help and support they need, as well as putting those responsible behind bars. Stamping out this hidden crime is certainly a priority here in Northumbria and we will work collaboratively to put an end to a suffering that should not be happening in 2016.”
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