A senior detective has praised brave victims who helped bring two cruel north Cumbria modern slavery car wash bosses to justice — and insisted the public have a vital role to play in spotting the signs of similar crimes.
Defrim Paci, 42, and 33-year-old Sitar Ali were each jailed for more than three years on Friday for exploiting Romanian workers at Shiny in Carlisle who had travelled to the UK in search of better lives.
The city’s crown court heard four men endured punishing shifts of up to 11 hours a day at the Warwick Road site for terribly low pay.
They were denied proper breaks and time off and housed in squalid multi-occupancy accommodation infested with insects and rats.
No protective equipment was provided despite workers using “toxic” substances to wash up to 3,000 vehicles daily.
Some were forced to buy their own cheap gloves from Tesco despite having only a few pounds left in their weekly pay packets after travel costs, rent and a deposit were deducted.
Speaking about the case, experienced Detective Chief Inspector James Yallop said: “I’ve been in the police for almost 20 years and to see what one human being can do to another fellow human being in terms of the way they were exploited, not just within the workplace but the living conditions, is appalling — there was no escape in terms of the experience that they were going through.
“It is rare, here in Cumbria, in terms of the number of incidents that are reported. But that doesn’t mean it’s not happening and where it’s going unseen that’s where we need the help of the public to report things that they may see and hear.
“It’s an ongoing priority both here in Cumbria and nationally to protect the rights of workers. We’re talking about labour exploitation but it crosses over into so may other different forms of exploitation, whether that’s criminal or sexual.
“It’s important that we’re able to target the organised crime groups preying on — and exploiting — individual vulnerabilities, so it’s an effort both locally and nationally for all law enforcement agencies and their partners.”
And all Cumbria residents, he stressed, had a vital role to play.
“For those who maybe sometimes see or hear something that maybe doesn’t quite feel right, or see something suspicious it’s really important to alert the authorities,” he said.
“If you see someone who maybe looks like they’re being neglected, maybe unkempt, anxious or nervous or withdrawn; maybe moving around at unusual times of the day; is going into accommodation that looks substandard and something just doesn’t quite feel right then it’s probably not.
“So if you see that it’s important to report it and then we can quickly respond and safeguard vulnerable victims.
“If they report that it builds an assessment of what may be happening within the local community. It’s not just about singling out one particular workplace, whether that’s, in this case, car washes; it’s about responding to the information an intelligence we’re receiving as a law enforcement agency to then look at where this activity may be taking place.”
Det Chief Insp Yallop said “established processes” were in place to support complainants.
Specially trained liaison officers had cared victims of the car wash case.
Responding to the convictions of Paci and Ali after a long and extremely complex investigation, he added: “I’m delighted. It’s the first in Cumbria of its kind and is a reflection both of the bravery shown by the victims but also the determination and the resilience shown by the investigating team.”
