POSTERS and postcards aimed at encouraging members of the public to come forward and help stamp out the sex slave trade in Cambridgeshire are being distributed across the county.The move is the latest by Cambridgeshire Police team working on Operation Ra

POSTERS and postcards aimed at encouraging members of the public to come forward and help stamp out the sex slave trade in Cambridgeshire are being distributed across the county.

The move is the latest by Cambridgeshire Police team working on Operation Radium, part of a national drive to end the trafficking trade which sees young women brought from Eastern Europe, Africa and the Far East to be auctioned as sex slaves in the UK.

Detectives believe that up to 100 brothels could be operating in Cambridgeshire, including some in Huntingdonshire, many under the guise of other businesses or even in quiet suburban villages.

"It may shock some people to see these posters displayed," said Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Vanterpool, who has taken over as head of Cambridgeshire's Serious and Organised Crime Unit.

"I make no apology for that. It is vital that we catch and hold the public's interest and help in rescuing the girls who are victims of this trade and breaking the criminal gangs who manipulate young lives to line their own grubby pockets."

The posters and postcards will be distributed by local policing teams in and around Huntingdon, Cambridge, Peterborough and Fenland.

Scores of people, including sex trade workers, have called police with information to aid Operation Radium.

Detectives and police analysts are now sifting through the information to assess its value and try to create a picture of who is running the trafficking trade and where they operate from.

"We are delighted with the help we are getting," added DCI Vanterpool. "Please keep the information coming in. Even the smallest piece of intelligence could be a vital clue to help us prevent young lives being destroyed."

INFORMATION: Anyone with information on sex trafficking in Cambridgeshire should call Cambridgeshire Police on 0845 4564564 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 and say it is in relation to Operation Radium.

CAPTION: STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING: A copy of the poster that will be distributed across Huntingdon to encourage members of the public to come forward with information to help put a stop to sex trafficking.

Picture: CAMBRIDGESHIRE POLICE.