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Couple held in first arrests for PSNI over domestic slavery
A couple, originally from Africa, have been arrested by the PSNI on suspicion of holding a woman and using her as a domestic slave for six years.
A 33-year-old man has been detained in east Belfast and a 25-year-old woman was arrested by police in Scotland and is being brought back to Northern Ireland for questioning.
The police say the arrests are the first for this kind of crime for detectives in Northern Ireland.
At a police conference on Tuesday, Detective Inspector Mark Bell, Head of PSNI’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit said the victim alleges she was kept as a domestic slave for six years.
He said police were made aware of the situation after the woman had the opportunity to leave the address they were living at.
“The victim was able to leave the address and made contact with a member of the public who knew the signs and indicators of what to look out for and then the police got involved,” he explained.
“That is why it is so important that I am using this opportunity to raise awareness for members of the public because time and time again in recent years when the public are heroes in these investigations.”
DI Bell added that he didn’t believe the activity was part of a wider organised crime gang.
He explained the reality of someone being kept as a domestic slave meant “they could be working from dawn to dusk”.
“Being responsible for the cooking, the laundry, or looking after children, doing all the domestic chores for absolutely no reward at all, seven days a week, with no time off,” he said.
Officers also searched a property and a number of pieces of documentation and mobile phones were seized as part of the investigation.
Victims may be afraid to speak out so we need the public to be aware of the signs to look for so that they don’t miss the opportunity to intervene in a modern slavery incident. Is there always someone else speaking for a person on their behalf? Do people have access to their money, identity documents and freedom of movement?
– DETECTIVE INSPECTOR MARK BELL
DI Bell continued: “These arrests are part of a protracted investigation into human trafficking for domestic servitude in Northern Ireland which has been going on for over a year. They are the first arrests of their kind.
“Modern slavery is often an unseen crime as victims can be afraid to speak out or may be being held captive and human trafficking for the purposes of domestic servitude can be particularly difficult to detect.
“During the last financial year, my team have investigated 59 potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking - a significant increase from 36 the previous financial year. However, every victim has a story about a missed opportunity for rescue by a person in the community so I’m asking the public to visit the Human Trafficking section of PSNI’s website and learn about the signs and indicators of human trafficking.
“It can be hard to believe that modern slavery and human trafficking exists today but it is all too real, especially for the victims. Modern slavery is unacceptable as it violates human rights and denies victims their rights to life, freedom and safety. The criminals prey on vulnerable people, control them by fear and exploit them for their own selfish gains.
“We are working as hard as we can but we cannot tackle this problem alone. We rely on the strong partnerships that have been formed through the Department of Justice Organised Crime Task Force but we need the public’s help.
“I would also ask people to contact us with any suspicions that they may have by calling 999 if it’s an emergency, or 101. There’s also a Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700. One call could end the misery for a victim who could be living next door to you.”
Couple held in first arrests for PSNI over domestic slavery
A couple, originally from Africa, have been arrested by the PSNI on suspicion of holding a woman and using her as a domestic slave for six years.
A 33-year-old man has been detained in east Belfast and a 25-year-old woman was arrested by police in Scotland and is being brought back to Northern Ireland for questioning.
The police say the arrests are the first for this kind of crime for detectives in Northern Ireland.
At a police conference on Tuesday, Detective Inspector Mark Bell, Head of PSNI’s Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Unit said the victim alleges she was kept as a domestic slave for six years.
He said police were made aware of the situation after the woman had the opportunity to leave the address they were living at.
“The victim was able to leave the address and made contact with a member of the public who knew the signs and indicators of what to look out for and then the police got involved,” he explained.
“That is why it is so important that I am using this opportunity to raise awareness for members of the public because time and time again in recent years when the public are heroes in these investigations.”
DI Bell added that he didn’t believe the activity was part of a wider organised crime gang.
He explained the reality of someone being kept as a domestic slave meant “they could be working from dawn to dusk”.
“Being responsible for the cooking, the laundry, or looking after children, doing all the domestic chores for absolutely no reward at all, seven days a week, with no time off,” he said.
Officers also searched a property and a number of pieces of documentation and mobile phones were seized as part of the investigation.
Victims may be afraid to speak out so we need the public to be aware of the signs to look for so that they don’t miss the opportunity to intervene in a modern slavery incident. Is there always someone else speaking for a person on their behalf? Do people have access to their money, identity documents and freedom of movement?
– DETECTIVE INSPECTOR MARK BELL
DI Bell continued: “These arrests are part of a protracted investigation into human trafficking for domestic servitude in Northern Ireland which has been going on for over a year. They are the first arrests of their kind.
“Modern slavery is often an unseen crime as victims can be afraid to speak out or may be being held captive and human trafficking for the purposes of domestic servitude can be particularly difficult to detect.
“During the last financial year, my team have investigated 59 potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking - a significant increase from 36 the previous financial year. However, every victim has a story about a missed opportunity for rescue by a person in the community so I’m asking the public to visit the Human Trafficking section of PSNI’s website and learn about the signs and indicators of human trafficking.
“It can be hard to believe that modern slavery and human trafficking exists today but it is all too real, especially for the victims. Modern slavery is unacceptable as it violates human rights and denies victims their rights to life, freedom and safety. The criminals prey on vulnerable people, control them by fear and exploit them for their own selfish gains.
“We are working as hard as we can but we cannot tackle this problem alone. We rely on the strong partnerships that have been formed through the Department of Justice Organised Crime Task Force but we need the public’s help.
“I would also ask people to contact us with any suspicions that they may have by calling 999 if it’s an emergency, or 101. There’s also a Modern Slavery Helpline on 08000 121 700. One call could end the misery for a victim who could be living next door to you.”
Couple held in first arrests for PSNI over domestic slavery
