0:00:04 > 0:00:08Slavery and exploitation are alive and well in Britain.
0:00:08 > 0:00:09I was a slave for 13 years,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12doing dirty jobs for them every day and night.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Thousands are being exploited in factories,
0:00:16 > 0:00:20fields and on the high seas.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24All the labour legislation that has come in that has transformed
0:00:24 > 0:00:29England from the 19th century to the 20th century doesn't apply here.
0:00:29 > 0:00:31It's been hiding in the supply chains
0:00:31 > 0:00:34of some our best-known retailers.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37They were brought over here from Hungary and forced to work,
0:00:37 > 0:00:40it was forced labour, and that is slavery.
0:00:40 > 0:00:45The authorities are struggling in the war against the slave traders.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48That was an arrest on... on suspicion of conspiracy, um,
0:00:48 > 0:00:51to commit human trafficking for labour exploitation.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54But should we be surprised,
0:00:54 > 0:00:58when abuses are hidden in plain sight on our high streets?
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Work it out - if you're paying a fiver to get your car washed
0:01:02 > 0:01:04and that's five people spending half an hour on the car,
0:01:04 > 0:01:06how much are they earning?
0:01:23 > 0:01:25Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29A gritty creation of the Industrial Revolution.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36Workers' rights have changed since then.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42But not for everyone here at Kozee Sleep's factory.
0:01:45 > 0:01:49Recently closed, the factory made beds for major retailers
0:01:49 > 0:01:51like John Lewis and Next.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59I'd always heard of trafficking in the news, er,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03but I always thought it was an issue that...Interpol would deal with,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06not that it would be right on your doorstep.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11These charity workers help victims of human trafficking.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Three years ago they were tipped off
0:02:13 > 0:02:15that Kozee Sleep was using slave labour.
0:02:16 > 0:02:20The information came to us from a number of sources.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23The victims were all male. We managed to speak to them.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32It soon became clear that workers were being exploited.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34The people getting out of the vehicles
0:02:34 > 0:02:38and coming out of the factory and back into the cars again, um,
0:02:38 > 0:02:41just seemed very down-trodden, malnourished.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48One of Joel's colleagues, who operates undercover,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50planned a rescue of the victims.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57She arranged a rendezvous at this supermarket car park.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01They came out from all angles.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03They were clearly hiding in bushes over here,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05and, um, behind the recycling bins
0:03:05 > 0:03:07and they just came forward to us.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23The charity rescued eight Hungarians from the factory that morning.
0:03:23 > 0:03:25Hi! How are you?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27'One of them was Daniel.'
0:03:27 > 0:03:28- Thank you.- Thank you very much.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31'Afraid to showed his face on camera,
0:03:31 > 0:03:34'he says traffickers lured him from Hungary,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38'promising wages of more than £200 a week.'
0:03:38 > 0:03:41- TRANSLATION:- I was very happy when I was on my way over here.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I thought I can work,
0:03:43 > 0:03:45I can earn, I can support my children.
0:03:52 > 0:03:56But when he arrived in Dewsbury he was paid a fraction of that amount.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04I was told I was only going to get paid £10 a week,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06and maybe a few smokes and some food.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10And I had to work sometimes 15, 16 hours a day.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Daniel and the other trafficked migrants
0:04:18 > 0:04:20were piled high into flats and houses.
0:04:25 > 0:04:29There were 14 people sharing one bathroom and one toilet,
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and they were all cooking in one huge pot.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38The place was crowded, dirty and it stank.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50'The traffickers crushed any thoughts the migrants had of escaping.'
0:04:55 > 0:04:58They said they knew where my family lived
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and that they could get hold of them.
0:05:12 > 0:05:16More than 30 migrants were enslaved at the Kozee Sleep factory.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It's just an empty factory
0:05:20 > 0:05:25but there's a profound sense of something shameful about this place.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34After the victims' rescue, West Yorkshire Police began
0:05:34 > 0:05:39their own investigation, astonished to find slavery under their noses.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42So this is where... this is the main Kozee factory.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44It's a big place.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48'Andy Leonard headed it.'
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Where were the Hungarians? Where were they based?
0:05:51 > 0:05:54They were just behind us. We've just walked past, really, where they are.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57You can see the loading bays there, and their job was to load.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Eventually, traffickers Janos Orsos and Ferenc Illes
0:06:03 > 0:06:05were convicted and jailed.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13But it was the factory owner, Mohammed Rafiq, who profited most.
0:06:14 > 0:06:18Do we know how much Mohammed Rafiq was actually...paying out?
0:06:18 > 0:06:21We believe he was paying Orsos, the trafficker,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24£3 an hour for each worker, so if they worked 60 hours
0:06:24 > 0:06:27he would give them £180 for that week's work,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30and we know Orsos gave the victims £10 a week spending money.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Multiply that up over the number of weeks,
0:06:33 > 0:06:36you can see there's a lot of wealth can be created here.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Last month, Rafiq was also convicted and jailed.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45It was a special moment for those fighting slavery.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49How significant is it to get the owner of a company?
0:06:49 > 0:06:53Very significant. We believe it's the first one in the UK, the first
0:06:53 > 0:06:56employer or end user to be convicted of human trafficking in the UK.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Is what we saw here modern-day slavery?
0:07:01 > 0:07:04Absolutely, totally, totally and utterly.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06It was forced labour, and that is slavery.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13John Lewis and Next audited Kozee Sleep.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18Both retailers now say the bed maker hoodwinked them.
0:07:18 > 0:07:21Stressing their commitment to best ethical practice,
0:07:21 > 0:07:24they say lessons have been learned.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So what's being done to stop this scourge?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44The Government has brought in a raft of new laws
0:07:44 > 0:07:46in the Modern Slavery Act.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51Last year it also appointed the first Anti-Slavery Commissioner,
0:07:51 > 0:07:53Kevin Hyland.
0:07:53 > 0:07:56If you look at the Home Office and the Government's own figures,
0:07:56 > 0:08:01they estimate that in the United Kingdom there are between 10,000
0:08:01 > 0:08:05and 13,000 people in modern-day slavery at any given time.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08The definition under the Act is, you know, somebody who is kept,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11turned into a commodity and exploited.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15So their liberty is taken away from them, but this is...
0:08:15 > 0:08:17A term, the invisible handcuffs, is used,
0:08:17 > 0:08:20because actually at one point in the day they could be out,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23they could be walking around the community,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25and there have been cases where they can walk around,
0:08:25 > 0:08:29but actually they have got no life, because somebody may have taken
0:08:29 > 0:08:31their documents, somebody may have them under control,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33somebody may be saying to them,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36"If you don't do what I say we will kill your family."
0:08:45 > 0:08:48Today's slaves may not be held in irons,
0:08:48 > 0:08:50but they're imprisoned just the same -
0:08:50 > 0:08:53through fear and dependency.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55Vulnerability is the key.
0:09:03 > 0:09:06So... Been...
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- St Chad's today?- Yeah.
0:09:08 > 0:09:10Been busy, rushed off my feet, nonstop.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14On the face of it, 46-year-old Darrell Simester,
0:09:14 > 0:09:18born and bred in Kidderminster, is an unlikely victim of slavery.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Have they got you cooking yet?
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- No, not yet.- Not yet. Why not?
0:09:23 > 0:09:26But he is linked to one of the most outrageous cases
0:09:26 > 0:09:29seen in the UK.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Back in 2000, Darrell, who is mildly autistic,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36was hitchhiking home from South Wales.
0:09:38 > 0:09:41A van driver picked him up and offered him a job.
0:09:41 > 0:09:44Darrell came on the phone and he said,
0:09:44 > 0:09:47"Dad, I want to make a new life for myself down here."
0:09:47 > 0:09:51He said, "I've just met these people and they've offered me a job.
0:09:51 > 0:09:52"They're going to look after me,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56"going to find me somewhere to live and they can find me some work."
0:10:02 > 0:10:07No one could have imagined the hellish ordeal waiting for Darrell -
0:10:07 > 0:10:12forced to work 24/7 unpaid on a farm.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Exploiting Darrell's vulnerability,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23his captors only allowed him limited contact with his family.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27Very infrequent phone calls that we got from him.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Maybe one or two a year.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Each year, it got worse and worse and worse and worse,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38and then when they stopped in 2008, then it was horrendous.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50We can't go to the place where Darrell was imprisoned.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53But to get a sense of what he went through, we've come to a farm
0:10:53 > 0:10:55in the region.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57Chief Superintendent Paul Griffiths,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01who investigated the case, accompanies us.
0:11:01 > 0:11:02How do you feel being here now?
0:11:04 > 0:11:05Seems different, actually.
0:11:05 > 0:11:08I know it's a different farm, but...
0:11:08 > 0:11:11There's a lot of similarities with the farm in terms of the barn,
0:11:11 > 0:11:16- you know, the horses, you know, the trough and everything.- Yeah.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20As you see, there's a trough down here of dirty water.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24This is where I used to wash every morning and night time.
0:11:24 > 0:11:25- A trough just like this?- Yeah.
0:11:27 > 0:11:28So how would you do that, wash yourself?
0:11:28 > 0:11:31I used to get a bucket, put it on the... Either...
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Well, I can show you if you want to.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Aye.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36I used to put it on the side here...
0:11:38 > 0:11:39..like a square bucket.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Wash my hands and stuff all over...
0:11:43 > 0:11:45and then get the hose and then wash all myself over
0:11:45 > 0:11:47and then rub myself down.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51- And you were doing that in the winter?- Yeah.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56'Darrell's enslavement lasted 13 years.'
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Was there ever a time when you thought of escaping,
0:12:02 > 0:12:04of running away?
0:12:04 > 0:12:07I did try and escape twice, actually.
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Ended up in...
0:12:10 > 0:12:12..Cardiff by the...
0:12:12 > 0:12:15I think it was by the train station or the bus station,
0:12:15 > 0:12:18and they said, "The next time you try and get away, we'll kill you,
0:12:18 > 0:12:19"if you do it again."
0:12:19 > 0:12:20DARRELL CLEARS THROAT
0:12:23 > 0:12:27All the time Darrell was captive, his parents Tony and Jean
0:12:27 > 0:12:29never gave up hope of finding him.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38He was finally freed after a tip off led them to the farm,
0:12:38 > 0:12:41but even then, the anguish wasn't over.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45Oh, he was... He was in a terrible condition, honestly.
0:12:45 > 0:12:47I didn't believe it was my son.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50When he walked towards me, I went, "That's not my son."
0:12:50 > 0:12:55But obviously, the nearer he got the more I realised it was my son.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Of course, I put my arms round him and hugged him.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04You know, I just hugged him and hugged him and hugged him
0:13:04 > 0:13:06and said, "What have you done to yourself?"
0:13:06 > 0:13:09- "I'm all right, I'm all right!" - TONY CHUCKLES
0:13:09 > 0:13:13But obviously, he's been programmed that he is all right, hasn't he?
0:13:13 > 0:13:15You know, that's what's happened.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20She always swore she'd find him.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23JEAN SOBS
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And she did.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34'His captor, David Doran, from a traveller family,
0:13:34 > 0:13:37'was jailed after pleading guilty to forcing Darrell
0:13:37 > 0:13:40'to perform forced labour.'
0:13:40 > 0:13:42How long did he get?
0:13:42 > 0:13:43He got, er...
0:13:43 > 0:13:46- Four and a half years. - Four and a half years.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48I wish he had got the same as me.
0:13:48 > 0:13:49- 13 years.- Yeah.- Yes.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54I think the uniqueness of this particular case was, this was a
0:13:54 > 0:13:57British national victim who was exploited and abused
0:13:57 > 0:14:00by a British national.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03I'm an experienced senior investigating officer,
0:14:03 > 0:14:09but I hadn't encountered such a serious victimisation before.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11- You all right, man?- Yeah!
0:14:11 > 0:14:12- You OK there?- Yeah.- OK.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14He keeps breathing in.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18If this is emotional stuff, I'm sorry to pull you back into it.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21But if it's too much, just...
0:14:22 > 0:14:24You know, they...
0:14:24 > 0:14:26If it's too much, just say it, OK?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31- I'll be all right in five minutes. - You've done really well.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39We go to a spot overlooking where Darrell was held captive.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43'It soon becomes clear that this place
0:14:43 > 0:14:45'still has a painful grip on him.'
0:14:48 > 0:14:51You were looking out earlier on on that strip of land.
0:14:51 > 0:14:52What were you thinking?
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I thought to myself, "Would it... Is it worth going,
0:14:55 > 0:14:59"seeing that farm once more, just drive past it,
0:14:59 > 0:15:01"and have one more look at it, and say goodbye to it?"
0:15:01 > 0:15:04It's not something that I would support, to be honest.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08I'm so proud of his recovery so far, that I just wouldn't want
0:15:08 > 0:15:11any setbacks from you going back down there.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20Darrell's case shows the mental bind that slavery
0:15:20 > 0:15:22can exert on a victim.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26And we shouldn't be surprised...
0:15:26 > 0:15:31..according to Dr Katy Robjant, an expert on the psychology
0:15:31 > 0:15:33of modern day slavery.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37People go from being physically restrained to psychologically
0:15:37 > 0:15:41restrained, so initially people, objectively, cannot leave
0:15:41 > 0:15:44the situation, and then over time people become less
0:15:44 > 0:15:46and less able to leave the situation, either because
0:15:46 > 0:15:48of developing mental health problems,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51or because they have lost hope.
0:15:51 > 0:15:54So, in a sense, they become locked up psychologically?
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Yes, absolutely. I think that what we need to remember is
0:15:58 > 0:16:00that when people are traumatised,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03their ability to assess risk completely changes,
0:16:03 > 0:16:08so where it might have been possible at one point to run
0:16:08 > 0:16:10out of an open door, it becomes impossible.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18Some instances of abuse by employers fit the label
0:16:18 > 0:16:21of "modern day slavery".
0:16:21 > 0:16:23Others fall outside this category,
0:16:23 > 0:16:27but appear clear-cut cases of exploitation.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30SEAGULLS SQUAWK
0:16:30 > 0:16:32Take the British fishing industry,
0:16:32 > 0:16:36where it's claimed our own immigration rules
0:16:36 > 0:16:37seem to encourage abuses.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41Hi, Ken, how are you? Darragh, Darragh MacIntyre.
0:16:41 > 0:16:43Glad that you came. Thanks a million.
0:16:43 > 0:16:46Ken Fleming is a union coordinator, championing the rights
0:16:46 > 0:16:48of migrant fishermen.
0:16:49 > 0:16:51So, what boat are we going on today?
0:16:51 > 0:16:54We're going to go on the... Just over there. Yeah, yeah.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02'He says there are many dozens of migrants being exploited,
0:17:02 > 0:17:05'chiefly on Scottish fishing boats.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08'Overworked and underpaid.'
0:17:10 > 0:17:13This is the part of the boat where we will class as a working area,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15the factory floor.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18We could have anything up to four or five guys working here,
0:17:18 > 0:17:23all different nationalities, different languages,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27for up to 20 hours a day, in very cold, wet conditions.
0:17:27 > 0:17:31And they're living here, working in this particular area,
0:17:31 > 0:17:33up to nine, maybe 12 months per year.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41'The migrant fishermen come to the UK from developing countries
0:17:41 > 0:17:46'on transit visas, with no rights to stay,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49'so end up confined for months on the boats.'
0:17:50 > 0:17:53Heading down now to the accommodation,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57to the sleeping quarters.
0:17:59 > 0:18:01It looks cramped enough but, I mean it is clean.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05And with four beds, maybe six beds here.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Well, Darragh, I accept it is clean.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10But what you have to understand is
0:18:10 > 0:18:13that the guys we're trying to assist
0:18:13 > 0:18:16are generally here for at least a minimum of a year.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20This is their home.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And, to put four or five or one person
0:18:24 > 0:18:27in a confined space like this for a year,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30and say, you go nowhere else other than to work
0:18:30 > 0:18:35is, in my opinion, tantamount to complete torture.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46This man, frightened to be identified,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48has first-hand experience.
0:18:49 > 0:18:54Hired from the Philippines, he wasn't allowed to live ashore.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00The boat became his prison. Work his only purpose
0:19:05 > 0:19:08- TRANSLATION:- We worked seven, eight, sometimes even ten days straight.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12And then we go back to the harbour to land the prawns and scallops,
0:19:12 > 0:19:15and then back out to sea again.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16We had no time to rest.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19In seven days, we worked more than 100 hours.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24In their eyes, they think we're small.
0:19:24 > 0:19:26I know we are different, because we are Filipino.
0:19:26 > 0:19:28But we are all human beings.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Promised £1,000 a month, he got paid just over £600.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39He knew he was being exploited, but kept working anyway.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- TRANSLATION:- I don't regret it because, you know,
0:19:44 > 0:19:46you have your family, and you have to support them
0:19:46 > 0:19:49and sacrifice yourself. That's all I want.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54It doesn't matter what happens to me because I am supporting my family.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56And so I will sacrifice myself.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05Campaigners like Ken Fleming say the loopholes in our system
0:20:05 > 0:20:10make migrant fishermen ripe for exploitation.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14All the labour legislation that has come in, that has transformed
0:20:14 > 0:20:18England from the 19th century to the 20th century,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20doesn't apply here.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25This is the old days. It hasn't moved since the 18th century almost.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28And it can't be described as anything else,
0:20:28 > 0:20:31it's inhumane and borderline slavery.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36The Scottish Fishermen's Federation
0:20:36 > 0:20:39rejects allegations of slave-type conditions.
0:20:39 > 0:20:41Accepting there are some problems,
0:20:41 > 0:20:45it says the vast majority of migrant fishermen are content,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48properly paid, and properly looked after.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58'Exploitation is all around us.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05'You'll find it on your local high street, hidden in plain sight.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10'In our love of cheap food...
0:21:11 > 0:21:13'Of preening...
0:21:13 > 0:21:14'And of keeping the car clean.'
0:21:25 > 0:21:27'South London is home
0:21:27 > 0:21:32'to some of the estimated 19,000 unregulated car washes in the UK.
0:21:36 > 0:21:40'Someone is making money from our passion for a shiny car.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45'But it's not the workforce, as these two Polish lads explain.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49'Again, it's the same story.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52'Exploited men, scared to show their faces.'
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- You guys used to stay here, used to live here?- Yeah, yes, live here.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58And was it in this condition?
0:21:58 > 0:22:01It's no good for sleeping.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- And how long did you live there for? - Four months.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11'The men tell me they get £40 for a ten-hour day.'
0:22:11 > 0:22:17- You know that that is illegal? - Yeah, I know is illegal, yeah.
0:22:17 > 0:22:19You should be getting paid more.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24How do you feel about the people who run the car washes?
0:22:24 > 0:22:27- Boss ignorant for people. - Ignorant?
0:22:27 > 0:22:33Yeah. For people. Only money. People...
0:22:33 > 0:22:37- They're only concerned with money, not concerned with people?- Yeah.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47'But employers aren't the only ones to blame, say campaigners.
0:22:49 > 0:22:54'David Ford is an outreach worker who helps exploited migrants.'
0:22:56 > 0:22:58- David. Hi. - Hello, how are you, Darragh.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00- Pleased to meet you. - Lovely to meet you.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05People get trapped into destitution when they work at the car washes.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09If you look at the way that they're paid, and how they're paid,
0:23:09 > 0:23:13and the amount of hours that they have to do, just to survive.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We need to look at the system holistically...
0:23:18 > 0:23:21'David believes responsibility shifts beyond the bosses
0:23:21 > 0:23:24'to ourselves.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29'He thinks we all need to take a long, hard look
0:23:29 > 0:23:32'at our own actions on the high street.'
0:23:33 > 0:23:37Isn't it better, as members of the public, that we keep on spending that money,
0:23:37 > 0:23:39that we actually keep them in some sort of employment?
0:23:39 > 0:23:43We support people in destitution by our own actions.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46When we go to a car wash and pay a fiver, and there's five people.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48The maths, work it out.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51If you're paying a fiver for a car wash and there's five people
0:23:51 > 0:23:53spending half-an-hour on your car, how much are they earning?
0:23:55 > 0:23:59And, every time we pay a pound or a fiver to get our car washed,
0:23:59 > 0:24:00we're supporting that.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12'The authorities are trying to fight back
0:24:12 > 0:24:15'against exploitation and slavery.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'Life sentences for traffickers are included
0:24:19 > 0:24:22'in the new anti-slavery legislation.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26'And specialist police units are being set up across the UK.'
0:24:28 > 0:24:29It's 3:30am in the morning,
0:24:29 > 0:24:33and we're on our way to a dawn raid with the West Midlands Police.
0:24:37 > 0:24:39'They are in the middle of a major investigation
0:24:39 > 0:24:41'into modern-day slavery.'
0:24:44 > 0:24:45Basically, we are investigating
0:24:45 > 0:24:48an organised crime group who recruits people
0:24:48 > 0:24:51and bring them over here, and exploit them for work.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53They basically put them to work,
0:24:53 > 0:24:56but don't give them access to their wages.
0:24:56 > 0:24:58We expect to find an individual
0:24:58 > 0:25:02who's been named as a suspect in trafficking who will get arrested.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Potentially, we'll get some victims of trafficking as well.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10'And then the team is off.
0:25:14 > 0:25:17'For legal reasons, I can tell you only
0:25:17 > 0:25:21'that the destination is somewhere in the Midlands.'
0:25:21 > 0:25:24There is a sense that police have got what they've come for.
0:25:27 > 0:25:29'One man is taken out by police.'
0:25:32 > 0:25:36We arrested the person we were expecting to find there.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39That was an arrest on suspicion of conspiracy
0:25:39 > 0:25:42to commit human trafficking for labour exploitation.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49'Then, three other men, his alleged victims, come out.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53'One of them has a familiar story.'
0:25:54 > 0:25:56All this man knows is he works for a week
0:25:56 > 0:25:58and he's given £60 cash in hand.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Now, you and I know that £60 for a week's work is nowhere near enough.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06What we need to do is get to the bottom of is, does he feel he is
0:26:06 > 0:26:09exploited, is he going to co-operate with our investigation?
0:26:17 > 0:26:20But, back at the station, the difficulty
0:26:20 > 0:26:23in persuading victims to help the crackdown becomes clear.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27- How's it going? - Not very well.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29They don't want any police involvement,
0:26:29 > 0:26:32they don't want us to jeopardise them being able
0:26:32 > 0:26:35to get the meagre wages that they do get.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38A couple of hours ago, I won't say you were celebrating,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40but you could reflect on a job well done.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43It's frustrating just on a human level to see the exploitation
0:26:43 > 0:26:47and not be able to do anything about it.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56It's a perfect illustration
0:26:56 > 0:26:59of the difficulty policing modern-day slavery
0:26:59 > 0:27:02when even the victims can be reluctant to help.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08'The number of suspected trafficking victims identified
0:27:08 > 0:27:11'has increased by 40% in just one year.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14'But that's still nothing like the true picture.'
0:27:16 > 0:27:19The chances of a victim being identified
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and supported at the moment is, at best, one in four, one in five.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26So, you're suggesting that 80% of this crime is actually undetected?
0:27:26 > 0:27:29That's an absolutely right figure, yeah,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31because a lot of victims are going unidentified
0:27:31 > 0:27:33and there's a lot of criminals who are operating
0:27:33 > 0:27:36not being pursued, and operating with impunity.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50Slavery was abolished across the British Empire almost 200 years ago.
0:27:51 > 0:27:55But the plain, if ugly, truth is that it still exists.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Exploitation has many drivers.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06Poverty, mass migration, greed.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And even our own desire for cheaper goods.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18'The war against slavery may not easily be won.
0:28:18 > 0:28:22'What is certain is that none of us can plead ignorance any more.'