17 Sept 2011 - Four men were last week charged with slavery offences, following an investigation into an alleged slave camp at a Travellers' site in Bedfordshire.
The men, all from the same family of Travellers, were charged with conspiracy to hold a person in servitude and require them to perform forced labour.
The investigation into the suspected slave camp has been challenged after nine of the 24 alleged slaves refused to help police with their inquiries. One of the nine accused the police of heavy-handed tactics and described the five arrests made as "a load of rubbish".
The charges came amid reports that the Bedfordshire swoop was connected to earlier raids in four other counties.
In March, 20 people were reportedly rescued from a site in Staverton, Gloucestershire, eight from a site in Enderby, Leicestershire, and seven from a site in Pleasley, Derbyshire. In June, a large group of men were rescued from a site in Hampshire.
Police insist that the four-month undercover operation in Bedfordshire has broken up an "organised crime group", and were questioning 15 alleged victims, who were being treated for malnutrition and other medical problems. Police are looking for two further suspects. One heavily pregnant woman, who is expected to give birth imminently, has been released on bail.
the men helping police, eight are British, three Polish, one Latvian and one Lithuanian, with two more of unconfirmed nationality. The youngest person to be found on site was 17.
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