THIS week, I decided to make use of my column to highlight a Police Scotland campaign on labour exploitation.

I normally try to steer away from national campaigns and focus more on local issues; however, in this case, labour exploitation is absolutely prevalent in East Lothian and it’s important to raise awareness of it. It’s also known as modern slavery and it’s a crime.

A few examples of this include: workers having wages deducted at source or wages being controlled by others; being kept in isolation and misfed information; subjected to psychological or physical abuse, threats of violence or bullying; working long hours without breaks, sometimes in poor workplaces and unsafe conditions; where accommodation is provided, victims can be overcharged and left in cramped and unsanitary living conditions, and perhaps also having their liberty restricted.

Exploitation can happen to anyone, whether they are from the UK or abroad. Offenders often target people with vulnerabilities, whether that’s down to their personal circumstances, their employment status, their language abilities or something else that isolates them from other people.

Victims do not always understand that employers are breaking the law or they are being controlled to the point where they are unable to speak out. They have sometimes fled worse abuse elsewhere in the UK or in another country.

What can you do to help? Visit endlabourexploitation.co.uk and see.

There are lots of things to look out for, including:

  • People removing victims’ official documents and not returning them;
  • Lots of people appearing to live in cramped accommodation, with people sharing beds or sleeping on the floor;
  • Workers escorted to and from work and transport being tightly controlled.

Together with our partners, Police Scotland will investigate fully and support any victims that are identified. You can also call the Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 0121 700. If you are concerned at all, please call us on 101. Alternatively, you can approach a police officer or drop into one of our stations in the county. Let’s work together to stop it.

As I write this column, the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has expedited some of the lockdown measures and has allowed travel across Scotland from this Friday. This will undoubtedly have a knock-on impact, with increased footfall in our towns and coastal areas. Rest assured, whilst we welcome people back to our beautiful beaches and parks, additional officers will be patrolling and working alongside East Lothian Council staff to keep everyone safe.

We want you all to have fun but you must do so safely and sensibly. We will not tolerate any form of anti-social behaviour and those who cross the line and cause disorder or bring disruption to the area will be robustly dealt with. I want to remind everyone that there are alcohol bylaws across all of the county which we will enforce and that it is an offence to drink in public.

With some nice spring weather predicted in the next few weeks, it will be nice to see some of you again enjoying the area. Please continue to follow the guidelines, look after yourselves and others, and stay safe.