Premier opposes budget cuts at Met's Human Trafficking Dept

Premier Christian Media Group is calling on the Home Office to reconsider budget cuts that will lead to the closure of the largest police unit in the country dedicated solely to catching the criminals behind the illegal trade of men, women and children.

The Metropolitan Police's Human Trafficking Department was set up just one year ago and focuses on targeting gangs who bring women and children into the UK and then force them into a life of sexual slavery or hard labour.

Now the Home Office will cut the Human Trafficking Team's budget from an annual £4m to £1.7m. "We're asking the Home Office to seriously reconsider it's budget cuts on human trafficking," said Premier Presenter and spokesperson for Not For Sale, Maria Toth. "It is estimated that 10,000 women are brought into the UK each year, to be held against their will and forced to work as sexual slaves.

"With these cuts, the UK's largest dedicated human trafficking unit will close next year and these women and children who are already in a perilous situation will suffer."

The Premier Media Group has been campaigning against sexual slavery in the UK through their Not For Sale campaign over the last three months. The Christian organisation has already obtained over 30,000 signatures protesting against newspapers publishing adverts for sexual services with trafficked women.

Premier is now gathering letters of protest to MPs, calling for a change in the law that would see the buying of sex to become illegal and the protection of trafficked women to be established.

"The announcement of budget cuts by the Home Office is a huge step back for the fight against human trafficking and our Not For Sale campaign." Premier's CEO, Peter Kerridge said, "I can only hope that Home Office will reconsider their decision."

Added Toth, "It is notoriously difficult to prosecute the gangs responsible for trafficking women and children into the UK and I can only imagine the situation will be worsen now the Home Office has announced these budget cuts."