A major campaign targeting human traffickers has seen more than 50 arrests in Kent.

Figures from the Pentameter 2 operation, spearheaded by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and the Home Office, were released this week.

They paint a chilling picture of the number of criminals exploiting vulnerable people - both foreigners and UK nationals - for personal gain.

Kent Police are one of the top three forces dealing with the issue of trafficking, along with the Metropolitan Police and North Yorkshire Police.

~ Listen to Kent Police's Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas speaking to kmfm about the crackdown >>>

Trafficking sees victims of all ages often deceived into working in the sex trade. They are sometimes kidnapped, falsely imprisoned or raped.

While many are brought to the UK from countries including those in the Baltic States, Eastern Europe, or the Far East, some UK nationals are also affected.

Coordinating the operation in Kent, which started last October, Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas said: "While the main objective of this campaign was to identify and rescue victims of trafficking, we are continuously working to make sure that those organised crime groups who are at the centre of this activity are repeatedly targeted."

Kent Police visited more than 50 premises across Kent during Pentameter 2 to identify and help victims of trafficking.

They arrested 50 people for offences including management of a brothel, conspiracy to traffic women for the sex trade, immigration offences and money laundering.

Six people - one from Ramsgate, Tonbridge, Tunbridge Wells and Hadlow and two from Canterbury - were charged as a result of the operation.