The 2026 Police Network Conference, entitled "Strengthening Police Responses to Trafficking in Human Beings: Applying Council of Europe Standards in Practice", brought together some 60 senior law enforcement officials, government experts and representatives of civil society and international organisations, from 1 to 2 July 2026, in Strasbourg, France.
Over eight thematic sessions, participants examined the most pressing challenges and operational responses to trafficking in human beings, focusing on the practical implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and the recommendations of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA).
“Tens of thousands of people are identified as victims to trafficking in human beings in Council of Europe member States every year, whether abroad or in their own countries,” stated Clare Ovey, Director, Directorate of Human Rights of the Council of Europe, at the opening of the conference, underlining that “strong standards alone are not enough – implementation and co-operation are decisive”.
The conference showcased best practices from 16 Council of Europe Member States, covering digital investigative tools (Germany, Greece and Spain); labour exploitation investigations (Finland, France, Italy and Poland); border management and victim identification (Spain and the United Kingdom); trauma-informed and victim-centred (Bulgaria, Cyprus and Serbia); capacity-building and specialisation (Georgia, Greece and Spain), responses to trafficking for criminal exploitation and implementation of the non-punishment principle (Netherlands, Norway and Slovenia), and international law enforcement co-operation (Austria and Romania). Presentations were also made by representatives of GRETA, the European Court of Human Rights, the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, Europol and Interpol.
Reaffirming the essential role of law enforcement in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, participants stressed the importance of proactive, intelligence-led investigations, strengthened cross-border and multi-agency co-operation, and victim-centred and trauma-informed approaches that enhance both the effectiveness of law enforcement and uphold the rights of victims.
