Crawley car wash owner given Slavery And Trafficking Risk Order
The order against Saman Ahmed will be in place for five years
A Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order (STRO) has been imposed on a car wash owner in Crawley, following an investigation into alleged fraud, modern slavery and health and safety offences.
The STRO prohibits Saman Ahmed from arranging travel or accommodation for anyone else, holding anyone else's ID or bank documents and car, advertising for employment vacancies and allowing anyone to sleep at Express Car Wash in London Road.
It's in place for five years and failure to comply could see Ahmed imprisoned.
Sussex Police officers went to the car wash in April this year and interview a number of people working there about the conditions on site. One was also found to be in the country illegally leading to a £10,000 fine to the owner.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Home Office Immigration Enforcement (IE), West Sussex Fire & Rescue (WSFRS), the Dept of Work & Pensions (DWP), and the Gangmasters & Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) were also in attendance.
Fire officers served a notice to prohibit anyone sleeping on site while the HSE prohibited used of electricity in parts of the site.
DWP investigators were looking into reports of possible benefit fraud offences.
Sergeant Steve Turner of the Crawley Neighbourhood Policing Team said; "We continue to work with our enforcement partners to act on intelligence about any signs that vulnerable workers are being exploited over their conditions of employment and accommodation in Sussex."
GLAA Senior Investigating Officer Jen Baines added: “STROs are a valuable tool for law enforcement in tackling potential modern slavery offences and we were pleased to support our partners at Sussex Police in securing this Order for the next five years.”