Toronto Police Service assists in Provincial-wide Human Trafficking Outreach, "Operation Northern Spotlight", Six people taken to safety, including two under 16, Twelve people charged

Toronto Police Service assists in Provincial-wide Human Trafficking Outreach, "Operation Northern Spotlight", Six people taken to safety, including two under 16, Twelve people charged

Wednesday, October 18, 2017 - 2:30 PM
Sex Crimes:  416-808-7474

Between Monday, October 9, 2017 and Saturday, October 14, 2017, 46 Ontario Police Services, including the Toronto Police Service's Human Trafficking Enforcement Team, took part in a province-wide human trafficking outreach called Operation Northern Spotlight. 

The initiative was part of a larger international operation led by the FBI, RCMP, and involved police services from Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia and the United Kingdom.

During the seven-day operation, a total of 331 police officers and support staff engaged with 198 people, offering them information and contacts with community-based support agencies. 

Six people, including two under the age of 16, who were working in the sex trade under exploitive situations, were taken to safety. Twelve people were charged.

For more information, please contact Staff Sergeant Carolle Dionne, OPP Provincial Media Coordinator, at (705) 329-6878.

Human Trafficking is a local, provincial and national problem that affects the most vulnerable in society. Operation Northern Spotlight demonstrates the need to work together with other Police Services and community partners to effectively investigate these heinous crimes.

Police would like to encourage all affected individuals to come forward and report Human Trafficking occurrences to police. We want to make sure that everyone has access to support services and an exit strategy regardless of their decision to proceed criminally.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 416-808-7474, Crime Stoppers anonymously at 416-222-TIPS (8477), online at www.222tips.com, or text TOR and your message to CRIMES (274637). Download the free Crime Stoppers Mobile App on iTunes, Google Play or Blackberry App World.

Human Trafficking means every person who recruits, transports, transfers, receives, holds, conceals or harbours a person, or exercises control, direction or influence over the movements of a person, for the purpose of exploiting them or facilitating their exploitation, for a sexual purpose or a forced labour purpose. Victims can be men, women or children; can be Canadian citizens; and can be moved across local, provincial or national borders. They can be coerced through violence or the threat of violence against family and friends. The Human Trafficking Enforcement Team of Sex Crimes is dedicated to investigating these crimes against vulnerable members of society. For more information, please visit the Sex Crimes website.

For more news, visit TPSnews.ca.

Constable Victor Kwong, Corporate Communications, for Detective Sergeant Nunzio Tramontozzi, Sex Crimes, Human Trafficking Enforcement Team