'People are suffering in silence from hidden crime'

Victims of loan sharks are being encouraged to stop suffering in silence.

Loan sharks are illegal moneylenders who often charge very high interest rates, which can then lead to intimidation and violence towards victims. More than 1.7 million people are in debt to perpetrators across England, according to The Centre for Social Justice.

More than 50 organisations - including Priorswood Community Centre in Taunton - have signed up to act as new support points across the country to allow people to seek help in person, rather than via an anonymous phone line.

Catherine Wohlers, operation manager at the England Illegal Money Lending team, said the issue is "such a hidden and under-reported crime".

"So, so many people are suffering in silence and that's what we need to stop," she added.

The England Illegal Money Lending team investigates and prosecutes loan sharks and supports victims across the country.

It was set up in 2004 and said it had since written off more than £92m in illegal debt and successfully prosecuted 439 people.

Anyone wanting to report a loan shark can still do so via an anonymous helpline, but Wohlers said the network of in-person support points across England was set up after someone questioned why no such service existed.

"They said, quite rightly, some people would rather do these things face to face," she added.

Wohlers explained how people could get trapped in the escalating cost of debt.

"I've worked with people who've borrowed £500-£600 and paid back literally tens of thousands over a period of years.

"Their lives have been made a complete misery by these people and their greed," she said.

Lesley Councill, manager at the Priorswood Community Centre, said people could come in and speak to volunteers without being judged.

"It could start off with just £10, you know, here you are, you can go and buy something for your children's lunch or something and that's when it starts to escalate from there on, which is really sad," she said.

"They can come in here, they can sit and have a cup of coffee, just chat through it in a relaxed environment, and then we can make that call for them," Councill added.

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