Specialist Anti-Slavery teams to man Manchester Airport

Specialist anti-slavery teams are to be placed at airports including Manchester to help spot potential victims of human trafficking.

Teams led by Border Force, the law enforcement command within the Home Office, will be tasked with identifying potential slavery victims, disrupting organised crime gangs and collecting intelligence on trafficked adults and children.

The first of the specialist teams will begin work on April 1 at the UK's biggest airport, Heathrow, replacing Operation Paladin, which was set up in 2004 with the Metropolitan Police Service.

New teams will be rolled out to Gatwick and Manchester later in the year with further ports to be identified over the coming months.

Modern slavery and organised crime minister Karen Bradley, who was brought into the Home Office as part of a minor reshuffle triggered by the departure of immigration minister Mark Harper, said:

"Our frontline Border Force officers are aware that they could be the first authority figure in the UK to have contact with a potential victim of modern slavery.

"Their role is vital in identifying and protecting victims and ensuring there is no easy route into the UK for traffickers.