A prostitution ring was broken and thousands of pounds in cash seized.
A prostitution ring in Kensington and Chelsea was broken yesterday when police arrested six people and seized thousands of pounds in cash.
A block of nine flats, believed to have been run as a brothel, was searched by detectives from the MPS Human Trafficking and Prostitution Unit and Home Office immigration officers, as were a number of other adresses.
Following the dawn raids, a number of rescued women were taken to a care centre to receive the help they needed.
“Today we have targeted an organised group of criminals who have been profiting from the abuse of scores of women,” said DI Kevin Hyland of the MPS Human Trafficking and Prostitution Unit.
“This operation is in part a result of victims having the courage to come forward about the abuse they are suffering. I urge other victims of trafficking to phone our hotline where we have translators and specially trained staff awaiting their call.”
It is believed the gang convinced women in Eastern Europe that they would be given administrative jobs in the UK, but once they arrived they were forced to work as prostitutes.
The operation is the first to be carried out under the European Communities Against Trafficking (ECAT) project, which launched this February and sees the MPS work with councils and charitable organisations to tackle trafficking and raise awareness of the issue.
Victims of trafficking and prostitution are urged to call the MPS’s 24-hour helpline, open seven days a week.
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