Head of Lancashire police out to protect "vulnerable victims" by tackling modern day slavery

Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, at the event.

Attended by almost 100 delegates, the conference saw commissioner Clive Grunshaw promote the importance of helping partners across the county understand the different ways people can become victims of modern slavery and how various organisations can identify and better support victims.

Put together by the Commissioner's office with support from Pan Lancashire Anti Slavery Partnership, the conference saw attendees work through a series of different scenarios to teach them how to spot the signs of modern slavery and understand which agencies can best be used to help get people to safety.

"Tackling modern slavery is a key priority for us in Lancashire, with training like this an important part of the work that continues to be done, all aimed at helping those being exploited whilst bringing offenders to justice," said Mr Grunshaw. "We know there are vulnerable victims out there and every organisation at this training today has a role to play in helping Lancashire police take necessary action to protect them."

The conference is building on the progress made by an award-winning training course already rolled out in Lancashire over the last two years by Hope for Justice which has seen over 500 people trained from across the public sector and non-governmental organisations. It also links up with other organisations nationally to ensure Lancashire's approach is consistent with those across the country.

"I am proud of the resources I have put into this fight, which places us at the forefront of anti-trafficking work nationally, and is a really important part of making our communities safer," Mr Grunshaw added.

DS Abi Finch Hall, Modern Slavery Human Trafficking Co-Ordinator at Lancashire Constabulary, said: “Working collaboratively is the key to tackling this form of exploitation and Lancashire Constabulary will continue to explore opportunities to work with partners to help eradicate human trafficking and modern day slavery from Lancashire.”