Police chiefs told to declare war on organised people trafficking

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/u ... 493384.ece
From The TimesSeptember 20, 2007

Police chiefs told to declare war on organised people traffickingSean O’Neill
A large operation to tackle human trafficking, the fastest growing form of organised crime in Britain, will begin next month.

Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, has instructed police forces and the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca) to make the fight against trafficking a priority, The Times has learnt.

Thousands of women and children are being sold into modern-day slavery in the sex industry, forced labour and street robbery by criminal gangs that have exploited the surge in immigration from Eastern Europe to extend their activities to Britain.

Even as Ms Smith prepared to announce the nationwide operation, codenamed Pentameter 2, however, she came under fire from police chiefs, who said that the Government had not recognised the criminal challenges posed by large-scale migration.

Julie Spence, the Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire, made an attack on “London-centred politiciansâ€