Human trafficking: NI police 'must focus on child victims'

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) should review the problem of human trafficking and focus more on cases involving children.

Those are the recommendations in a Criminal Justice Inspection report, which also calls for improved laws.

Ninety-one victims were discovered in Northern Ireland in 2019.

Of them, 23 of them were being sexually exploited. Sixteen were children and the report calls for a "strategic focus" on pursuing the perpetrators.

Jacqui Durkan, chief inspector of Criminal Justice in NI, said: "These offences are often described as being hidden in plain sight.

"They can involve people working on farms, in food production, at car washes, in nail bars, in domestic settings cleaning homes and providing childcare, as well as children who are trafficked across Northern Ireland for sexual exploitation."

Victims came from Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania, among other places.

In the past five years, there have been 16 prosecutions and eight convictions related to human trafficking.

The 50% conviction rate compares to 68% in England and Wales.

Enforcement powers

The report also highlights a need for improvements in legislation.

"We have recommended that the full range of enforcement powers available elsewhere in the UK need to be replicated in Northern Ireland," said Ms Durkan.

"I am encouraged the minister of justice has already indicated her intention to consider the need for this in the draft modern slavery strategy for 2021-22, which will soon be issued for public consultation."

Det Ch Insp Gareth Talbot, from the PSNI's modern slavery and human trafficking unit, said the report had acknowledged "excellent working relationships" between the unit and specialist prosecutors.

"We will continue to build on this good work and, following the recommendations made as a result of the inspection, we will be developing an action plan to deliver on these," he said.

"Modern slavery is a priority for the police service and, in 2015, the modern slavery and human trafficking unit was created with a dedicated team of specialist officers to investigate these abhorrent crimes, which are committed against some of the most vulnerable people in our society."