Question reference: S5W-27735
- Asked by: Jenny Marra, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Labour
- Date lodged: 4 March 2020
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 16 March 2020
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what work is being done to understand the critical enablers that facilitate human trafficking in Scotland and to identify access points used by criminal gangs, the transporters and online enablers of the criminal supply chain.
Answer
The Scottish Government is committed to tackling human trafficking and exploitation by working in partnership with criminal justice agencies to improve the detection and disruption of perpetrators who facilitate human trafficking and exploitation, in line with Action Area Two of the Trafficking and Exploitation Strategy.
Police Scotland have developed an intelligence operation to assess threats and emerging trends using a number of methods including setting up the National Human Trafficking Threat Desk (NHTTD). The NHTTD monitors intelligence from a number of sources and develops an emerging threat picture which is used to inform operational activity. There are currently a number of live joint cross-border investigations including methods of travel, embarkation and disembarkation points and developing opportunities to disrupt the facilitators of human trafficking. Police Scotland also have four large-scale dedicated investigations across Scotland carrying out enquiries into human trafficking as well as a number of smaller investigations being conducted at Divisional level.
Border Force carried out a month long partnership intensification period at Glasgow Airport in November 2019 where at-risk flights were targeted. Analysts are currently compiling profiles on routing, types of exploitation, modes of transportation and connection to traffickers.
Operation Aidant, coordinated by the NCA, are human trafficking themed joint working intensification periods which take place six times a year. In 2020 the themes include ports and borders, labour exploitation, child trafficking, sexual exploitation and adult services websites.