Sex-trafficking soars in UK
Pastor Dale Morgan
Sex-trafficking soars in UK*
Last updated at 13:31pm on 1st October 2007
The Daily Mail UK
Detectives investigating a sex-slave trade in Britain think that as many
as 100 brothels are operating in Cambridgeshire alone.
Police say sex traffickers are luring women into the UK from eastern
Europe, Africa and the Far East with the promise of lucrative jobs.
They say brothels are being run under the guise of other businesses and
from "ordinary" homes in quiet neighbourhoods.
Officers in Cambridgeshire say they are trying to pinpoint an estimated
100 brothels in the county.
A prostitute reclines in a brothel. The shocking rise in Eastern
European sex slaves has made the number of brothels in the UK soar
They say there has been a huge increase in calls about prostitution
during the past year and officers have visited more than 70 premises and
made more than 20 arrests.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fullwood, head of Cambridgeshire Police's
serious and organised crime unit, said women were held in "appalling
conditions".
"This is an evil and disgusting trade which has links with many other
areas of crime, and with the public's help we are determined to stamp it
out," he said.
"Intelligence already tells us just how widespread this trade is.
"We know that many brothels operate under the guise of other businesses,
or they may just be ordinary-looking homes in quiet, residential
neighbourhoods.
"A brothel in any community, obvious or not, is a magnet for those
involved in other crime such as robbery and drugs dealing.
"The people who run these establishments lure young girls to this
country with all sorts of promises - like citizenship and successful
careers.
"Often the first thing that happens is that their passport is confiscated.
"Then they are held captive in appalling conditions, forced to do things
against their will and given little income or even the basic necessities
of life.
"Many are subjected to appalling violence and are moved around the
county to be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
"At the same time, the criminals enslaving these young women are making
tens of thousands of pounds.
"With the public's help we plan to identify the premises where these
brothels operate and end this trade."
Last week Cambridgeshire chief constable Julie Spence called for more
Government cash to cope with problems posed by an influx of migrant
workers following the broadening of the European Union.
One of a number of issues she highlighted was a growth in prostitution -
driven by the influx of large numbers of single men.