Peel Police Rescue Two Victims of Exploitation

Officers from Peel Regional Police Vice Unit recently participated in Operation Northern Spotlight, a multi-jurisdictional effort to end human trafficking. Over 300 employees from 45 police services across Ontario joined forces to liberate victims of human trafficking.

The week-long effort in October resulted in seven victims being rescued from the sex trade, including a 16 year-old girl and a 21 year-old woman, both from Mississauga.

“The proactive efforts of police and service providers through operations such as Northern Spotlight are essential to identifying and providing resources to victims of human trafficking.  Unfortunately, the exploitation of women and girls in the sex trade often goes unreported and can be attributed to many reasons including fear, manipulation, and deception on the part of the trafficker,” said Detective Jim Zucchero of the Vice, Narcotics and Street Level  Organized Crime Unit. “We may not see the immediate impact. However, if the interactions we had encourages someone to seek help in exiting an exploitive situation, then our goal has been met,” he added.

Human trafficking investigations are challenging because victims are often too afraid to come forward for fear of being harmed, and criminals are constantly on the move.

Peel Regional Police’s Vice Unit is recognized by other police services across Canada, as a leader in human trafficking investigations. The Vice Unit consists of six constables, two detectives and a detective sergeant, who actively seek victims in the sex trade who are suspected of being exploited. Between 2008 and 2017, officers from the Vice Unit laid more than 100 criminal charges on an annual basis for various human trafficking offences.

On an annual basis, the Peel Regional Police Crime Prevention Services presents to over 5000 students and community members on the topic of human trafficking in an effort to educate and deter the recruitment of potential victims.