A 17-year-old was identified as a potential victim of modern slavery after police visited a nail bar in Trowbridge.

Wiltshire police said its officers carried out “two proactive days of action” across November 15 and 16.

The force and partners, including immigration officers, carried out visits to 23 nail bars across Wiltshire and Swindon.

They made checks on the welfare of their employees and assessed whether there was any evidence of potential exploitation.

Three men were identified as potential victims of modern slavery and were referred via the National Referral Mechanism to ensure that they were given accommodation and further support.

Potential victims of modern slavery, aged 16, 17 and 27 respectively, were identified at:

  • Westbury Nails, Edward Street, Westbury
  • Tips and Toes, The Gateway, Bythesea Road, Trowbridge
  • Salisbury Nail Salon, Milford Street, Salisbury

Two people were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences (Entering the UK without leave) as part of the operation. They were handed over to the Immigration Authority:

  • A man, 23, and a woman, 30, were arrested at Lavish Nails and Beauty, High Street, Royal Wootton Bassett.

Detective superintendent Craig Holden said “The main reason for this action was to identify whether there were any vulnerable people being exploited in our communities.

“We also want to raise awareness with the public that slavery can and does happen in our communities and they can help us stop it.

“Whilst Wiltshire is one of the safest places to live and work in the country, it is not immune to these types of issues.

“We want to be on the front foot; working with the public to identify the threats to vulnerable people in our community then working in tandem with our partners to provide safeguarding and bring offenders to justice.

“It’s not just a police issue; it’s a real team effort and the Swindon and Wiltshire Anti-Slavery Partnership (chaired by Wiltshire Police) is helping to bring everyone together to put a stop to slavery in our communities.

“Modern slavery is an ever-changing area of crime. That’s why we have to be proactive, build up our intelligence of what is happening and deploy our resources accordingly. This operation has focused our efforts on visiting nail bars across the county.

“Sadly, these types of businesses are amongst those where exploitation has been known to take place.

“This predominantly involves labour exploitation of vulnerable, often trafficked, women from South East Asian countries including Vietnam.

“I must stress that exploitation doesn’t just happen in these types of establishments and there are many perfectly legitimate businesses that treat their workers well.

“Whilst carrying out our visits we have identified potential victims of exploitation.

“They have been referred via the National Referral Mechanism to ensure that they are given accommodation, food and further support.”

He added: “Business owners found to employ illegal workers are potentially liable for fines of up to £20,000 for each illegal employee within their business.

Police are appealing for information
Officers visited 23 nail bars across two days

“The Immigration Authority is responsible for pursuing these fines. It is the responsibility of business owners to check whether their employees have entitlement to work in the UK.

“I would urge the public to be aware of the potential signs of exploitation and use that information to not only report their concerns but also to think of the human cost of their services so as to make informed decisions when buying services such as nail treatments.”

Victims of human trafficking and exploitation aren’t always immediately obvious to spot but there are some potential indicators that may help the public.

For example:

  • their appearance may hold clues as to how they are being treated
  • they may not speak any English
  • they may show emotional signs of exploitation such as anxiety, fear, withdrawal or distress
  • they may appear to be very young or they may appear to have no prior experience of the job they are doing (for example nail care).

If members of the public have concerns that someone may be a victim of exploitation they should call 101 and give as much detail as possible.

The information will then be passed on to the Wiltshire police’s human exploitation and emerging threats (HEET) team for further investigation.