Eddie Kerr from SEEDS said he would welcome the UK wide campaign but would also be "cautious."

"I would just appeal to the PSNI to recognise these people are not criminals but are part of a system being used by criminals. These people come here to improve their quality of life.
"These people need to be encouraged to come forward and know they are dealing with people they can trust and help them."

Launching the Pentameter 2 programme earlier this week chairman of the Organised Crime Task Force, Paul Goggins MP said: "Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery where individuals and criminal networks seek to profit from the brutality, misery and suffering they cause to others."

The MP added there was no firm evidence that human trafficking was happening in Northern Ireland but the approach is a positive one.
"We will be sensitive to the needs of victims and they will be treated with care and consideration – our role is to help them and end their suffering."

Eddie Kerr said he has heard reports of "people paying huge amounts of money thinking they can create a better life for themselves over here and being forced into employment or being abandoned, and it is becoming more prevalent as the movement of people becomes noticeable."

"The numbers are quite significant and it is growing. This place is ripe for it at the minute because it is very easy for people to be in the shadows. Between the last two to four months people have been coming to us that have been abandoned - we try to ensure that they are safe and secure. We have to identify where they come from - a lot don't want to get into trouble. They have left their families behind in often small villages and don't want to give too much information about the traffickers because they are worried about what will happen to their families."

The charity worker said once the problem is exposed they easily disappear.

"That is the worrying thing - often we don't know where they go. They are cases for concern because of the duplication of identification, the language difficulty and the fear factor."

He has urged Derry people to be vigilant and to be aware of the problem. "This isn't happening on a TV show or in some faraway place. It is happening here."