Police look to identify youth at risk of becoming involved in human trafficking

August 13, 2020 · 0 Comments

York Regional Police will modernize its approach in tackling human trafficking.

Two new projects, one tackling human trafficking across the Region, as well as guns and gangs, were announced Monday by York Regional Police (YRP) Chief Jim MacSween and Deputy Premier Christine Elliott, who was joined by area MPPs.

The details came following a $6 million three-year funding announcement from the Ontario Government last week to “help combat crime and build safer communities” by repurposing funds forfeited during criminal prosecutions.

“The Proceeds of Crime Frontline Policing Grant repurposes funds forfeited during criminal prosecutions and helps local police fight gun and gang violence, human trafficking and sexual violence,” said Ms. Elliott, noting the YRP’s share of $600,000 would go towards two key programs.

The human trafficking initiative, she said, will “modernize the reporting process how youth at risk are being recruited into human trafficking” while developing a crime prevention model based on social development. The initiative will also provide resources to address the immediate needs of human trafficking victims.

The “guns and gangs” initiative will help identify and examine the “significant increase” in this type of violence by working across sectors to tackle the problem head-on.

“The guns and gangs initiative will examine the increasing gun and gang violence in York Region in the past year,” said Chief MacSween. “We know the first step is to understand the underlying factors that cause gun and gang violence. Only then can we tackle education, prevention and enforcement.

“The goal of the human trafficking initiative is to modernize how at-risk youth are identified and reported to Police so we can prevent their being trafficked to begin with or assist them with leaving the life entirely. Proactive intelligence-gathering related to the sex trade and supports for survivors of human trafficking will play an important role in this project, but for York Regional Police the most important element in both projects is the community partnerships we will be strengthening and developing. The ability to identify at-risk youth, connect with them early before they begin down a dangerous path, is vital.”

To achieve this, the YRP will be working with organizations such as 360 Kids, Victim Services of York Region, and York University, each of whom will help the police “identify young people who are susceptible to human trafficking,” said Chief MacSween.

“We will be collaborating in the development of a program to prevent their recruitment into the sex trade and creating an online tool so social workers can submit reports directly to investigators, reducing reporting and investigative delays,” he said.

“The result will be real data and evidence that should help us understand sudden surges of violence as well as the effectiveness of prevention strategies. We recognize education and prevention are important factors, I would say critical factors, in any enforcement strategy. That is why this work is so important.

“York Regional Police is truly grateful to the Province for recognizing partnerships and collaboration are the only way to solve complicated issues of human trafficking and violent crime. Law enforcement can’t do it alone. We must continue to employ a holistic approach and use the experience and expertise of our partners if we want true outcomes. The funding for these initiatives will go a long way to assist us in combatting these issues.”\

By Brock Weir