North Wales Police boss wants new law to beat slavery

Holyhead is Britain's second busiest ferry port, handling two million passengers a year

Tough new laws are needed to combat human trafficking at Welsh ports, a police boss has said.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones highlighted Holyhead Port in Anglesey as a "soft target" for modern slavery gangs.

He wants new legislation forcing ferry companies to keep records of all passengers.

Mr Jones called for the measure at a modern slavery and human trafficking conference in Old Colwyn, Conwy county.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones is unhappy with current soft border arrangements.

He said traffickers were taking advantage of the Common Travel Area agreement between the UK and Republic of Ireland governments. It allows people to travel between the two countries without having to show passports.

Mr Jones told the conference of public officials including social workers, probation officers and council representatives: "The Common Travel Area provides a real vulnerability in national security and unfortunately real opportunities for those in the business of trafficking people.

He said he had warned the UK government that "now is not the time to reduce resources at our borders."

Last month his office began funding Britain's first dedicated slavery victim support officer.

North Wales Police has officers at Holyhead port and has been involved in operations to uncover trafficking - the force has helped safeguard 60 victims in the last year - but Mr Jones says more needs to be done.

"I have been pressing ferry companies to keep a full manifest of travellers as is done with air travel.

"Passports and often individual tickets are not required to permit travel. This is very helpful to the traffickers enabling them to move people unnoticed with ease.

"Holyhead Port should not be a soft target for offenders. I have asked for legislation to mandate the ferry companies to keep accurate passenger information.

• North Wales Police: What is modern day slavery

Another speaker, Roy McComb, deputy director of modern slavery and human trafficking at the National Crime Agency questioned official figures estimating the number of modern slaves in the UK to be around 4,000. He said he believed the actual figure was "in the hundreds of thousands".

Mr McComb called on the public to report suspicions. "If you have your car washed on waste land by 10 Romanians for a fiver, the chances are they are the victims of modern slavery.

"Or a man paying for sex with an 18-year-old Vietnamese girl that can't speak English should realise the chances are that she too is a victim of modern slavery.

A spokeswoman for ferry operator Stena Line said it remained committed "to working with all the statutory agencies to help keep Wales at the forefront of tackling this horrific crime".

• Modern Day Slavery Helpline: 08000 121 700

• North Wales Police: 101

• Crimestoppers: 0800 555 111