Hull in print

Criminal gangs are using the port of Hull to smuggle people clandestinely into the UK. Although numbers are difficult to gauge because many people pass undetected, there may be as many as 50 people a month being smuggled in this way, say Humberside Police.
Stowing away from as far away as Afghanistan, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and Somalia, people are smuggled into the United Kingdom by vehicles and containers arriving on ferries from Zeebrugge and Rotterdam.
Typically, the human 'cargo' is taken from countries where there is grinding poverty, persecution of minorities, or civil war.
"Organised criminal gangs often adapt lorries to contain hidden compartments or false floors, and people are secreted in these spaces to avoid detection, often in very poor and cramped conditions," says Detective Inspector Stephen Goforth, from Humberside Police.
"It's a widespread problem for UK ports and Hull is no exception. "Some of the people arriving in Hull may stay in this area, but generally they are moved to more urban areas of the UK, where women may be sent to work in brothels and restaurants, and others may work in other industries like agriculture."
To combat the problem, Humberside Police has teamed with the Immigration Service and Passport Service to form a regional task force called Reflex.
Headed by Det Insp Goforth, the task force has carried out preventative campaigns on ferry routes into Hull, with a view to raising awareness of this type of criminal activity with ferry staff, lorry drivers and the general public. In doing so, the Reflex unit has worked closely with Belgian and Dutch police and port authorities to stop the problem at source.
"People try to get to Britain for a better future, but very often their lives can be ruled by fear and exploitation, with threats of violence from the gangs hanging over them," adds Det Insp Goforth.
"There is a cost involved in 'people facilitation' – criminal gangs are involved in this type of business for financial gain. Often they demand many thousands of pounds from the people they smuggle."
Smuggled people have to repay some of this debt before they start the journey and sometimes from the moment they arrive in the UK. Very often that means they are in bonded labour, paying off their 'debt' to criminals by working in prostitution, restaurants or agriculture.
"Many people who are trafficked are fearful of contacting the police," adds Det Insp Goforth, "and their reluctance is made worse if they have been unable to trust the police in their countries of origin."
If you want advice or would like to talk to someone confidentially about any of the issues raised in this article, call 0845 6060222 and ask for Operation Reflex. Or email Reflexjig@humberside.pnn.police.uk


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