A NAIL bar in Westbury has been identified as a potential business condoning modern slavery says Wiltshire Police.
Wiltshire Police carried out two proactive days of action on Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th November in relation to modern slavery. The force and partners, including immigration officers, carried out visits to 23 local nail bars across Wiltshire and Swindon to check on the welfare of their employees and assess whether there was any evidence of potential exploitation.
Westbury Nails in Edward Street, was found to be housing a potential victim of modern slavery, identified as a 16 year old male. He has now been immediately referred via the national referral mechanism to ensure he is given accommodation and further support.
Detective Superintendent Craig Holden said, “The main reason for this action was to identify whether there were any vulnerable people being exploited in our communities. We also want to raise awareness with the public that slavery can and does happen in our communities and they can help us stop it.
“Whilst Wiltshire is one of the safest places to live and work in the country, it is not immune to these types of issues. We want to be on the front foot; working with the public to identify the threats to vulnerable people in our community, then working in tandem with our partners to provide safeguarding and bring offenders to justice.
“Sadly, these types of businesses are amongst those where exploitation has been known to take place. This predominantly involves labour exploitation of vulnerable, often trafficked women from South East Asian countries including Vietnam. I must stress that exploitation doesn’t just happen in these types of establishments and there are many perfectly legitimate businesses that treat their workers well.
“Business owners found to employ illegal workers are potentially liable for fines of up to £20,000 for each illegal employee within their business. The Immigration Authority is responsible for pursuing these fines. It is the responsibility of business owners to check whether their employees have entitlement to work in the UK.”
If members of the public have concerns that someone may be a victim of exploitation they should call 101 and give as much detail as possible. The information will then be passed on to the Wiltshire Police human exploitation and emerging threats (HEET) team for further investigation.
