Five arrested on suspicion of immigration offences
Takeaways in Telford and Wrekin have been visited as part of a multi-agency crackdown on serious and organised crime.
On Wednesday 10 July, Officers from Telford & Wrekin Council’s Public Protection team joined West Mercia Police, Immigration Enforcement and Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service and visited five takeaways.
As a result of the exercise, five people were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences and will now be dealt with by Immigration Enforcement. In addition, poor food hygiene practices were uncovered in some of the premises which will be dealt with by officers from Public Protection. As these are live investigations we will not be naming the premises at this stage.
The initiative, codenamed MATES (multi-agency taskforce enforcement strategy), runs at various times throughout the year and is part of West Mercia Police’s commitment, in partnership with other agencies, to tackle serious and organised crime and protect those at harm.
Cllr Richard Overton, Telford & Wrekin Council’s Cabinet Member for Enforcement, said: “Our work with our partners is part of our commitment to protect and care for everyone in our borough. These regular MATES exercises also provide the opportunity to work with partner agencies, share information and intelligence to better tackle issues such as modern slavery, human trafficking and child sexual exploitation.”
If you suspect modern slavery is taking place, ring the UK Modern Slavery Helpline run by @UnseenOrg on 08000 121 700 or download The STOP APP to report human trafficking.
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