HOTELS, guesthouses and bed and breakfasts have a role to play in spotting the signs of modern slavery and protect potential victims in Oxford.

Chris Mason, general manager at Holiday Inn Express Oxford said it was 'very important' hoteliers and private landlords joined together to raise awareness of the hidden crimes to aid police and other authorities to prevent them happening.

Mr Mason's comments come after Thames Valley Police launched an18-month campaign yesterday to combat a rise in cases of people being abused, trafficked or used as slaves in the county.

Figures show the hidden crimes, together known as modern slavery' are exploiting people across Oxfordshire with 30 reported cases in the past two years.

Oxford City Council and the police set up Hotel Watch about two years ago to spot the signs of child sex exploitations in the wake of Operation Bullfinch.

Seven men were jailed in 2013 for a total of 95 years for raping, grooming and prostituting girls in Oxford between 2005 and 2011.

Mr Mason said he had 'never' come across any signs of modern slavery, but said that just mean victims were being exploited in other locations.

He added: "I was aware of the background to this. The horrific events which came to light after Operation Bullfinch trial were well documented. The council and police asked if any of the hoteliers would be willing to join a committee to help work towards preventing this happening again. As someone who has worked in Oxford hotels for 20 years I thought that it would be a good opportunity to help introduce good practice procedures which could be used in all hotels large and small across the city."

The city council has organised conferences to help people spot the signs of modern slavery to hoteliers, but also taxi drivers, faith groups and housing agencies.

Up to 70 accommodation outlets signed up in Oxford and are part of an email system in which information is shared between businesses and police.

Modern slavery is the illegal exploitation of people for personal or commercial gain. Victims are tricked or threatened into work and many feel unable to leave through fear or intimidation.

In a motion to full council last night, Tom Hayes, city council board member of community safety, called on the Government to change the law to extend their support for victims of modern slavery to longer than the current timescale of 45 days.

Detective Superintendent Nick John, who is heading up the Hidden Harm campaign urged members of the public to 'open their eyes' to spot the signs of the hidden crimes.

He added while many of the crimes on the rise, the vast majority were undetected and unreported.

Mr Mason added: "This can happen anywhere - nowhere is exempt from this issue, which is why we should never be complacent."