3. Protect people from exploitation and abuse

The exploitation or abuse of anyone in Kent is unacceptable which is why the vulnerable must be protected. Kent Police must work with local partners to identify exploitation and abuse wherever it is occurring, pursue and bring offenders to justice, take action to safeguard victims and facilitate the provision of appropriate support to help them cope and recover.

a) Due to its geographical location, Kent acts as a gateway to and from the continent which organised criminals use for trafficking and exploitation. The Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) Team are part of the collaborated Serious Crime Directorate (SCD). They focus on developing intelligence and proactively targeting those criminals and Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) involved in the exploitation of vulnerable people, specifically with regards to MSHT and organised immigration offences.

Delivering results: A father (originally from Syria) kidnapped his four children from social services care in Austria. The children were brought across the Channel in a small boat and intercepted by Border Force who alerted Kent Police to a potential kidnap reported by the Austrian authorities. The defendant was charged and subsequently pleaded guilty to 1 x entering the country Illegally and 4 x facilitation offences relating to the children.

b) Fraud remains the most commonly experienced crime and accounts for over 40% of all crime in England and Wales. From forgery to misuse of funds or credit card scams, fraud perpetrators are increasingly finding new ways to trick people out of their money. In 2023/24, Kent Police continued to investigate offences of fraud, money laundering, economic crime, and cyber-crime.

Delivering results: SCD officers took part in an operation with warrants executed across the Southeast. This led to numerous arrests for suspected fraud, including:

1. a 60-year-old man in the Maidstone area in connection with misuse of company funds;

2. a 74-yearold man in East Sussex for allegedly forging a signature on legal papers relating to a house sale in Sevenoaks; and

3. a 33-year-old man for alleged credit card offences, including a chargeback fraud around 28 tickets to a Kent tourist attraction; and