OXCAT (Oxford Community Against Trafficking) praised the victims for their bravery in ensuring these brutal men faced justice. But the case has pulled into sharp focus the horror of human trafficking in our neighbourhoods and communities.

Andy Dipper, an OXCAT spokesman, said: “The decade-long catalogue of torment and abuse suffered by these young women has been horrifying.

“But it has been going on right under our noses; in our streets, outside our schools and behind closed doors in Oxford homes and hotels.

“This is not an isolated case, more and more incidents are being uncovered across the country. We cannot stand for this kind of abuse in modern day Britain… we encourage everyone to Open Your Eyes.”

OXCAT was set up to highlight the problem of men and women trafficked into domestic servitude, criminal activity or sexual exploitation.

The group has just a few volunteers, but provides training to taxi drivers, school children and hotel staff to raise awareness of human trafficking.

It is today calling on everyone to #OpenYourEyes to spot signs of trafficking in your village, town or city, in your school or workplace.

Catherine Bearder, a Member of the European Parliament for Oxford, said: “OXCAT’s message is powerful and it is time we all listened. Trafficking is happening in this city and we cannot allow the suffering to continue.”

OXCAT is calling on Twitter users to spread the hashtag #OpenYourEyes and encourage followers to spot the signs of trafficking.

Notes:

1. To speak to Andy or Catherine please call Tim Hobden on 07817888097.
2. OXCAT is hosting the It’s Happening Here conference in Oxford on Saturday, July 13.
3. For more information, donate or get involved log on at www.oxcat.org.uk
4. Follow OXCAT on Twitter @OXCAT_INFO or search #OpenYourEyes

Who: Registered Taxi and Private Hire Drivers

What: Join us for a 90 minute awareness training

Where: Regal Community Centre, Ridgefield Road, Oxford, OX4 3BY

When: Wednesday 12 December 2012, 11:00 – 12:30

Email info@oxcat.org.uk to register, providing your name, a contact telephone number, and the company you work for.

Thanks

BBC NEWS: Watch the Video

Police say cannabis growers are moving away from commercial and industrial sites
towards ordinary houses. But how can you spot a cannabis farm in your street?

Cannabis growing in the suburbs is soaring, with about 21 farms or factories being
discovered every day, a new report by the Association of Chief Police Officers
says. The problem has persisted for a while, with insurer Aviva reporting a 30%
year-on-year increase in cannabis damage claims last year as criminals turned
to rented houses to cultivate plants. Now the Association of Chief Police
Officers (Acpo) says most of the cannabis consumed in Britain is homegrown and
is urging the public to keep an eye out for suspicious behaviour in their
neighbourhood. And householders might just want to know for their own sake too.

Thermal imaging equipment can detect heat surges caused by growing lamps High
electricity bills can be a giveaway. Neighbours may give anonymous tip-offs if
they suspect illegal activity. People cultivating cannabis farms may stay on
the move to avoid detection. Permanently shuttered or covered windows can be a
warning sign. So how can you spot an illegal drug farm on your doorstep?

Unlike many criminal enterprises, there are telltale signs of cannabis cultivation,
according to commander Allan Gibson, Acpo’s lead officer on the subject. The
first thing to look out for is people setting up shop, he says. “Most of
the properties are rented accommodation, and when they move in, they’ll bring a
lot of equipment with them. “It will be ventilation equipment and lighting
equipment for irrigation, grow bags, soil – it should stand out as unusual,
which is why criminals tend to try and move in when they will be
unobserved,” he says.

Gibson says the next thing cannabis growing gangs tend to do is adapt the premises -
often by creating venting through floors or re-wiring – but this can easily go
unnoticed as plenty of new tenants renovate properties. Another thing cannabis
growers’ neighbours might notice is their absence – or their coming and going
at odd hours. “They won’t be sociable neighbours, they will want to keep a
low profile,” says Gibson. “So if cannabis growers live in
permanently, they will barely be seen – and if they are maintaining more than
one growth site, they will come and go in the early hours or at night,” he
says. So far, so hard to detect, it seems. But Gibson says there are a couple
of obvious indicators that should be easier to pick up on. Cannabis’s
distinctive strong and sickly sweet smell is one of them. The other is
covered-up windows – often constantly pulled curtains or black-out blinds – so
nobody can see into the premises and the right temperature is maintained. Rick
Stephens, from West Midlands Police’s cannabis disposal team, agrees windows -
usually blackened or “polythened” – are a common giveaway, but he
says criminals are getting increasingly sophisticated about covering their
tracks. “In some cases a bay window is created, with a overnight light or
TV set up, so the premises looks normal – but actually it is just screened off,
with cannabis plants lined up behind,” he says.

Police found 6,866 farms in 2009-10 And a projected 7,865 in 2011-12 More farms
located in smaller residential or domestic premises. Police recovered more than
1.1m plants with street value of about £207m during two-year survey period.
Stephens says lighting – which can be spotted by hi-tech thermal imaging
cameras which display the heat given off by the strong lights – can also alert
suspicious neighbours. “If we are talking about 500 plants, and work on
the presumption that there can be six plants for a set of lights, that’s 80 or
90 lights or transformers that are needed.” He says initially plants require
about 12 hours of artificial light every 24 hours. Growers tend to do this at
night, which means it can sometimes be spotted. ”

At one house in Wolverhampton, neighbours saw bright lights coming out from a vent
under floorboards, under which cannabis was being grown,” he says.
Concerned neighbours can also look out for condensation on windows, or unusual
levels of heat coming from a property as a result of lights, according to Bryan
Dent, a drugs co-ordinator at West Yorkshire Police. “It’s going to be considerably
warmer than normal room temperature – that will manifest itself in heavy
condensation,” he says. Dent says criminals also often tend to bypass
electricity meters, or break into the main meter, to fund the huge wattage used
up by the lamps and the fans. “This might manifest itself in strange
electric cables, or digging underground to join into street furniture supplies,
such as a lamp post,” he says.

For those who think they are on to cannabis-growing gangs, Gibson says there is one
other key tell-tale sign – the criminals do not appear to be environmentally
friendly either. “Growing material like compost and soil is often
contained in plastic bags, so we often see them dumped by rubbish bins,”
he says.

The number of alleged victims has increased from 24 to as many as 50 as more young girls come forward

• A total of 13 men arrested after raids as part of Operation Bullfinch
• Charges include trafficking, grooming, and rape of girls between the age of 11 and 16

A suspected sex trafficking ring in which girls as young as 11 were allegedly targeted was far larger than previously feared, according to police.

As many as 50 young girls have come forward claiming to have been sold for sex in Oxford, detective confirmed today.

It was originally thought that 24 girls, aged between 11 and 16 years, were the only victims but more youngsters have since contacted the police alleging they were also victims.

Oxford police commander, Acting Superintendent Chris Sharp, said more ‘potential victims’ had come forward as a result of the publicity the case had received.

A total of 13 men were arrested when more than 100 police swooped in the raids across Oxford, codenamed Operation Bullfinch.

A group of six Asian men – including two sets of brothers – have been charged by police in connection with allegedly running the sex trafficking ring in the university city known for its dreaming spires.

Since the initial dawn raids last month, officers had made a further two arrests as part of the probe, a police spokesman said.

A 39-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman were detained on suspicion of ‘grooming’ this week.

The man has been freed on police bail to return to a police station in May, pending further inquiries and the woman was released without charge.

Six men were charged and appeared at Aylesbury Crown Court, sitting at Amersham on Friday, March 30, for a preliminary hearing and were all remanded in custody.

Father of two Kamar Jamil, aged 26 years, of Summertown, Oxford, who is charged with four counts of rape, two counts of arranging the prostitution of a child, one count of making a threat to kill and one count of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, has since been granted conditional bail by the court.

Seven men returned to a police station to answer bail on Thursday and had their bail extended for a further eight weeks.

High Wycombe Magistrates Court heard during the first hearing last month how the accused men are believed to have groomed 24 girls for sex between May 2004 and March, this year.

Four girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, were allegedly given alcohol and drugs, and forced to have sex with some of the men.

Clare Tucker, prosecuting, said during that hearing: ‘These charges relate to the sexual exploitation of girls between 11 and 16 across the Oxford area over a period of several years.’

Zeshan Ahmed, 26, is charged with ten counts of engaging in sexual activity with a child.

Anjum Dogar, 30, is charged with one count of conspiring to rape a child, one count of arranging prostitution of a child and one count of trafficking.

His brother, Akhtar, 31, is charged with three counts of rape, one count of conspiring to rape a child, three counts of arranging the prostitution of a child, one count of making a threat to kill and one count of trafficking.

Mohammed Karrar, 37, has been charged with two counts of conspiracy to rape a child and one count of supplying a Class A controlled drug to a child.

His brother Bassan, a 32-year-old father of two, is charged with one count of raping a child in 2006.

Detective Inspector Simon Morton, of Thames Valley Police, said at the time of the arrests: ‘We are working closely with social services to make sure the young girls involved are safe.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2129307/Oxford-sex-trafficking-probe-widens-number-victims-doubles-50-young-girls-come-forward.html#ixzz1s1YEcJbT

The six have appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court accused of a number of offences and all asked District Judge Lynne Matthews to release them on bail.

However after prosecutor Clare Tucker opposed their requests they were remanded in custody until they appear at Aylesbury Crown Court on Friday.

The six were arrested on Thursday as part of Operation Bullfinch, a police investigation into a gang alleged to have sexually exploited up to 24 girls from Oxford aged between 11 and 24.

The men are:

Thirty-one-year-old hospital porter Akhtar Dogar, of Tawney Street, East Oxford, who faces three charges of rape, one of conspiring to rape a child, three of arranging the prostitution of a child, one of making a threat to kill and one of trafficking.

His 30-year-old unemployed brother Anjum Dogar, who faces one charge of conspiring to rape a child, one of arranging prostitution of a child and trafficking.

Twenty-six-year-old security guard Kamar Jamil, of Aldwich Road, Oxford, who faces four charges of rape, two of arranging the prostitution of a child, one of making a threat to kill and one of possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

Unemployed Zeshan Ahmed, also 26, of Palmer Road, Headington, who faces 10 charges of sexual activity with a child.

Security guard Bassan Karrar, 32, of no fixed address, who is accused of raping a girl.

And his brother Mohammed Karrar, who is 37 and lives in Cowley Road, Oxford, and is accused of two charges of conspiracy to rape a child and one of supplying a class A drug to a child. He is unemployed.

Seven other men also arrested on Thursday are now on police bail while detectives’ enquiries continue.

The six will appear for a preliminary hearing at Aylesbury Crown Court for the next stage of the proceedings.

They are currently all in police custody.

The raids were carried out as part of Operation Bullfinch, an investigation into child exploitation on 24 girls aged between 11 and 16 years old in Oxford.

The joint investigation, carried out by Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire County Council’s Children, Education and Families Department, was aimed at rescuing potential victims and securing convictions of suspects.

Det Supt Rob Mason, spokesperson for the operation, said: “We believe we have uncovered an organised crime group who have been running a business of selling young girls for sex. We have also identified a number of customers who we have reason to believe have used this service.

“We believe the offending spans over a six-year period.

“Our number one priority is to protect the victims, both their identities and wellbeing.”

Councillor Louise Chapman, Oxfordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “Thames Valley Police and the Oxfordshire County Council’s children’s social care team linked up swiftly when it became apparent that it would be dealing with an investigation that centred on child exploitation.

“This prompt action allowed children’s social care workers to work in close partnership with Thames Valley Police, with officers from the county council being seconded to the police, working from police premises.”

Neighbourhood police teams will now be carrying out reassurance patrols, issuing information about the operation with contact details if people need further information.

The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre was also involved in the operation.

FULLY BOOKED

On 26th March 2012 South East Strategic Partnership for Migration and Stop The Traffik are hosting a free seminar which will cover:

• how Human Trafficking affects the Thames Valley
• what you can do to tackle it
• how you can work with your Local Communities

So, if you’re a local authority or social worker, community police officer, probation officer, migrant worker, migrant organisation, health practitioner, education provider, housing provider, community group or homelessness charity this will be a fantastic opportunity to aid your understanding of modern day slavery. Check out the Thames Valley invite for more information.

The training is now fully booked but if you wish to join the waiting list please email act@stopthetraffik.org and pop us an email at info@oxcat.org.uk to let us know!

See the BBC coverage at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-15354545

BBC Radio Oxford 31st august am