Campaign against human trafficking: police ask citizens to report suspicions
Belgian police are asking citizens to report suspicious situations as part of a campaign against human trafficking launched on Thursday. Through the new initiative, the police hope to intervene more quickly when needed.
The police aim to raise awareness of the issue of human trafficking and are calling on people to report suspicious situations via the emergency number 112.
Human traffickers buy large quantities of boats, life jackets and other equipment for crossing from northern French beaches to the UK. This equipment is often bought in neighbouring countries such as Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Intercepting vehicles
"In recent years, the integrated police conducted targeted checks to break the supply chain of trafficking networks and intercept vehicles transporting marine equipment before they reached their final destination. Tips from citizens can definitely help in this regard," federal police said on Thursday.
People are being asked to report vehicles and trailers with engines, life jackets or boats. Hidden boats on the coastline or people going out to sea in large groups can also be reported. Merchants are asked to watch out for people buying large quantities of life jackets, engines or materials to assemble a boat. In addition, customers who want to complete their purchase as quickly as possible, have little technical knowledge about the boat and pay in cash may also be considered suspicious.
Frequent controls
Previous police actions have, according to Belgium's federal government, already proven effective. In February, federal Justice minister Vincent Van Quickenborne announced that human traffickers are increasingly abandoning Belgium as a transit country in their attempt to smuggle migrants into the UK.
According to the minister, this is partly due to frequent police controls, comprehensive international cooperation against human trafficking, the use of data discovered on confiscated smartphones by the Federal Judicial Police and strict penalties for human traffickers.
(BRV)
#FlandersNewsService © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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