Crime Reduction Toolkits

Trafficking of People

Operational initiatives

In any operational initiative it is important that all relevant parties are involved from as early a stage as possible. They also need to develop a mutual understanding of the various different perspectives they are each bringing to the work. 

The roles and responsibilities of the different agencies and their representatives need to be agreed from the outset. 

Appropriate links should be established with national bodies following established protocols. When these do not seem to be working (for example there is insufficient responsiveness from the national bodies) this should be escalated to the strategic management group and beyond. 

There needs to be an agreement amongst all parties on the priorities and aims of the intervention. These should include as an overriding priority the safety and the protection of the human rights of the victim and their family, and the protection of any other potential victims. 

Specific working proactive protocols and management of the initiative need to be agreed. If multi-agency protocols are not already in place, the need for these should be identified and addressed by the strategic management group. 

There should be regular joint meetings and case meetings. Any issues that arise out of the practicalities of joint working need to be resolved quickly and pragmatically. The aim throughout is to ensure that multi-agency working saves time and effort rather than adding another burden on operational work.