Looking at the Data Void. What We Can Learn From Police Human Trafficking Data
James Brown | September 21 | 11:30 AM-12:30 PM | Room 3020
It is a continuing challenge to find informative and reliable data sources on human trafficking, where the global community acknowledges that the lack of such data is actually a key element of the issue. Police data on human trafficking is generally acknowledged to be limited; however, it can provide us with a view to what is happening in our communities through its content. Equally, the lack of information or the data void in police records, can be revealing in how police agencies are responding to human trafficking. This can help identify whether their strategies are working, whether their investigative focus is effective, and if their community partnerships are robust. This presentation will focus on knowledge gained through the research and micro analysis of 2014 to 2015 policing data from a major Canadian municipality, and look at elements of both offenders and survivors and how they differ from established norms across the human trafficking community.
Presentation Objectives:
· Inform the examination of how police agencies’ organizational structure and investigative placement may impact the agency’s capacity to investigative and confront this issue
· Discuss how the limitations on police data and consequently national crime statistics may provide further insight to support their work in combating human trafficking