Two men have been arrested in connection with modern slavery offences in Greater Manchester.
Alongside the British Red Cross and local partners, officers from Greater Manchester Police’s modern slavery unit executed five search warrants on Wednesday 21 November, including at a takeaway.
17 people identified in the warrants were rescued and are currently with specialists from the police and the British Red Cross.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Detective Inspector Chris Potter of GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said: “Warrants like these are absolutely necessary in disrupting those who take advantage of people for cheap labour, exploit their willingness to work and completely disregard their right to live in a clean and safe environment.
“Our utmost priority is safeguarding those people we believe to be exploited and make sure they have full access to the appropriate support.
“Now, we will focus on examining the items we’ve recovered in our searches and intelligence we’ve gathered in line with our wider investigation but we need people who have any information whatsoever or those who have spotted the signs of modern slavery, to get in touch with us.
“It’s happening today, and in your area. Help us make it a thing of the past.”
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