DEVON and Cornwall Police are hosting a regional conference on Modern Slavery today to coincide with Anti-Slavery Day tomorrow (Saturday).

The event is the first wave in building awareness for partners to try and combat slavery across the South-West.

The conference seeks to outline the national context and gather ideas on how the national action plan can be implemented regionally and locally.

It is also a chance for practitioners to share best practice and identify opportunities to work together.

The conference will hear from migrant worker and victim support experts who will be able to offer advice on how criminal gangs operate and succeed in ruining people’s lives.

The detectives involved in the recent Operation Triage will recount how their investigations succeeded in rescuing eight victims from a house in Plymouth.

Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, National Policing Lead for Modern Slavery, said: “The shocking truth is that centuries after the abolition of slavery the country still plays host to it, in agricultural and industrial settings, in brothels and in private homes.

“It is only through a mixture of thorough investigation and public education that we will tackle this scourge.

“I hope this conference will be a chance for us to share the hard work that our officers put into combating modern slavery, whether it be through supporting victims, bringing offenders to justice, providing training and generally working more effectively together.”

The nature of human trafficking means that victims feel too afraid to come forward and report their situation to police.

It is estimated that nearly 3,000 people, including 600 children, are exploited in the UK and this number is increasing.