WYNYARD
We operate in a global village where human trafficking is the third largest and fastest growing crime.
The key to the successful implementation of a transnational and coordinated anti-human trafficking effort, will be easy and effective collaboration between law enforcement and other agencies in multiple countries; which all have distinct human trafficking environments and challenges including methods of recording and investigating these crimes.
To help provide a holistic view of the criminal networks responsible, agencies must have access to the information they need to be effective. Authorities must bear in mind however, that the gathering and sharing of this information must be balanced with protecting people’s privacy and civil rights – particularly those of vulnerable victims.
However, with the ideal of increased collaboration also comes the practical challenge of how to surface actionable intelligence within vast amounts of data from transnational investigations.
Complex Trafficking Rings
In the case of human trafficking in Europe, investigators could be dealing with cases involving smugglers in the origin countries in Africa, plus the gangs handling the Mediterranean crossings from Libya to Italy and then Turkey to Greece; not forgetting those trafficking through land routes across northern Europe.
There might also be a range of different actors performing a variety of roles in the smuggling process - from the small-scale smugglers, arranging ad hoc services - to larger smuggling networks, dividing the work among those involved. These individuals can have different functions: coordinator or organiser, recruiter, transporter or guide, spotter, driver, messenger, enforcer, service provider or supplier (including corrupt officials, taxi drivers or financiers for example).
The internet has also changed the scope of traditional abuse and, therefore, investigations. With technology, exploiters can reach a far broader audience much more easily. They are able to target victims wherever they are, via social media or email for example, increasing their mobility and anonymity.
The potential evidence that investigating teams must therefore wade through in each country to find meaning and direction for a solid investigation can come from online conversations, physical locations, different actors and their varying actions.
Tracking The Kingpins
When investigating human trafficking cases, law enforcement agencies are faced with a sea of data and can find just making sense of this information a challenge, let alone surfacing valuable clues.
Analysing the data could also take a team of investigators weeks, months or even years to work through to detect relationships and links between seemingly unrelated people, events and victims.
Technology is playing an increasingly influential role in investigating and solving crime.
Advanced crime analytics gives agencies the ability to identify trends, patterns and anomalies that would have otherwise gone undetected, allowing officers to interpret the data, make informed decisions and act swiftly.
The software does this by fusing all case evidence, such as emails, phone and text records, social media, internet search history and so on together, then uses smart analytics to look for links. For example, how individuals and organisations are connected to each other or to different victims. It can also integrate information from other sources, including criminal watch lists, bank and financial transactions, travel and other records, to build an even more comprehensive picture. Investigators are then able to dig deeper, revealing events and relationships that might otherwise have gone unnoticed but could save that vital bit of time to close in on a trafficking network.
By utilising the power of advanced technology, together with robust legislation, the adoption of a mind-set of awareness and a commitment to protect the vulnerable, the global community can better identify and prosecute the people responsible for these crimes which shame us all.
Read more: https://www.wynyardgroup.com/en/news-events-blog/using-technology-to-tackle-human-trafficking/
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