Three arrested in Sudbury as police tackle exploitation and immigration offences during day of action

Three people were arrested as police crack down on exploitation and immigration offences in a town.

Suffolk Police and Home Office immigration officers visited 10 businesses in Sudbury yesterday — targeting car washes, nail bars, barbers, restaurants and convenience stores.

The operation led to three arrests on suspicion of Immigration Act offences and those people will be dealt with by Immigration Services.

Officers spoke to a number of employees during the visits with a focus on safeguarding and protecting them from potential exploitation.

John French, Suffolk Constabulary’s modern slavery vulnerability advisor, said: “We are committed to tackling exploitation and modern slavery in Suffolk and our priority is to protect those who are most vulnerable and at risk.

“These days of action allow us to focus on specific areas and are vital to disrupt criminal networks. Hand car washes and nail bars are unfortunately areas where exploitation sometimes takes place and illegal immigration and illegal working is often linked to wider organised crime groups, which impacts our local communities.

“Information from the public is key in enabling us to identify criminal activity and we urge members of the public to report any concerns of exploitation.

“Any intelligence shared is vital to our investigations to help us safeguard victims and pursue offenders. It is crucial that we remain on the front foot, being proactive and intervening as early as possible.”

If you suspect someone is employing illegal workers at their business, report this to the UK Modern Slavery & Exploitation helpline on 08000 121 700 or online via https://www.modernslaveryhelpline.org/report.

It is free, confidential, open 24 hours and available in 200 languages.