Former Tauranga police detective Matthew Valentine is now a law enforcement supervisor and anti-trafficking specialist in Thailand. Photo / Supplied
Former Tauranga police detective Matthew Valentine is now a law enforcement supervisor and anti-trafficking specialist in Thailand. Photo / Supplied
When Tauranga police detective Matthew Valentine walked out of New Zealand's departure gates three years ago to help child victims of exploitation and human trafficking overseas, he planned to come back.
Things didn't go to plan.
Speaking from his family's new base in Chang Mai, Thailand, the now-former detective explainedhis new role as a law enforcement supervisor and anti-trafficking specialist, helping local police combat child exploitation in Southeast Asia.
For 14 years, Valentine worked as a detective in Tauranga and spent time on the Child Protection team. Looking after some of society's most vulnerable victims became a passion and he soon found a similar role in the Philippines.
Valentine took unpaid leave from the police and left, planning to spend a year or two learning more internationally before returning to his job in New Zealand.
During this time, Valentine became aware of Lift International, a New Zealand non-government organisation and charitable trust.
Originally named Nvader, Lift International seeks to identify victims and perpetrators of human trafficking then prosecute the offenders, and protect those victims.
Valentine joined in 2019 and has been with the trust since.
"When I left New Zealand, I had the full intention of going back, to take those skills back to the police, but after a couple of years, I've only just started to get some effect. The connections you need here are so deep ... they take time.
"After three years, I decided not to go back. The work was too rewarding."
Former Tauranga police detective Matthew Valentine is now a law enforcement supervisor and anti-trafficking specialist in Thailand. Photo / Supplied
Such was his intention to return to the police, he only resigned from his detective role in July.
While Valentine was able to bring a detective's "investigative mindset" to help lead his Lift team, it was his skills as a police negotiator he used the most.
"I can't just drag the [local] police along and say 'this is how you do this, this is how you do that' - it leaves no room for development. You need to find that fine line for these guys to create change in their own country.
"You have to get them to lift their own skills."
Valentine said despite the obvious challenges of working and living in a foreign country, the job was incredibly rewarding.
"Kids that are exploited, they just have that look about them - you see it after you work with them for a while; they look off into space and have no real soul. Once that burden of exploitation is lifted, you can see that joy come back to their lives."
Valentine's two sons, 8 and 7, motivated him in his efforts to help exploited children return to some sense of a normal childhood.
The work was "extremely heartbreaking" at times, especially since the arrival of Covid-19 which sparked an "explosion" on online exploitation, Valentine said.
Former Tauranga police detective Matthew Valentine is now a law enforcement supervisor and anti-trafficking specialist in Thailand. Photo / Supplied
"It's a very tough part of the job, having to work with children when they've been exploited. It's an area a lot of people look away from. So it's rewarding to be someone who does something about it."
Lift International has worked in partnership with Tearfund since 2014 to fight human trafficking with a team of highly skilled investigators, lawyers and social workers.
Tearfund programme manager Andrew Robinson said the team wished there were more Valentines in the world.
"It's not just his formidable expertise and experience – he brings with him this massive motivation to help victims of trafficking and abuse," he said.
"Directly, since joining Lift, Matthew and his team have released around 100 children from abusive or exploitative situations. Indirectly, it's immeasurable the impact he is having, as he trains, guides, and inspires various law enforcement agencies and other organisations working to end human trafficking, so they can be more effective in the work they're doing.
"He is well respected because of his many years of experience, and people don't just learn from him but are inspired by him. I think he is a genuine modern-day Kiwi hero."
Robinson said trafficking was a global business rife in south-east Asia and the organisation frequently worked with similar agencies around the world.
