Please be aware of vulnerable neighbours -
Elderly or infirm - who may not be able to get out, to do normal activities (shopping, going out for a walk) - and may be vulnerable to exploitation or criminal activity.
Vulnerable adults - some adults who may be vulnerable for any variety of reasons may be exposed to exploitation, such a cuckooing (a form of crime in which drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for drug dealing), financial fraud, or just plain theft or burglary.
Children and young people - may under some circumstances, be vulnerable to sexual exploitation or may be coerced or forced into criminal activity by local gangs.
If you have any concerns, call the police - 999 in an emergency - or call Crime Stoppers anonymously.
Modern Slavery - many people may think that slavery only happens overseas, but there are thousands of people trapped in modern slavery in the UK. Victims are vulnerable men, women and children who are abused for criminal profit, often forced to live in squalor and work long hours for little or no wages. They are stripped of their freedom and human rights, and suffer enormous trauma. People are trafficked into the UK from abroad, mainly from Vietnam, Nigeria, Romania, Albania, and Poland, but other countries too. There is also a growing number of British nationals living in slavery here.
Contact Essex Police if you have concerns or report anonymously to Crime Stoppers
Essex Police: Human Trafficking and Slavery
See also our local webpage.
