Few modern slavery cases fail to end in charges

A parliamentary report on modern slavery concludes that the practice now “pervades every community” in the UK, and warned the number of victims could be in the tens or even hundreds of thousands.

Modern slavery was introduced as a single, specific offence under the Modern Slavery Act, in March 2015. Since then, West Midlands Police has recorded 951 cases, according to Home Office data up to the end of December last year. Staffordshire Police recorded 201 instances.

Examples of modern slavery include domestic servitude, forced sex work, or labour exploitation in industries such as agriculture, or in businesses like nail salons and car washes. It can also involve criminal exploitation, such as in cases where children or vulnerable adults are recruited into the drugs trade,

But experts have warned that a lack of support for victims could be hindering investigations, after the rate of offenders being charged fell to a record low across England and Wales.

In 2018, West Midlands Police carried out 387 investigations into slavery offences, 331 of which had been concluded by the time the data was released. Of these, just five, or two per cent, resulted in charges being brought.

Difficulty gathering evidence was cited as the reason for not bringing charges in 21 per cent of cases – 14 per cent where the victim didn’t support further action being taken, and eight per cent where they did. Police closed the case without identifying a suspect in 65 per cent of cases. In the same year, Staffordshire Police Police carried out 78 investigations into slavery offences, 59 of which had been concluded by the time the data was released. Of these, just two, so three per cent, resulted in charges.

Police forces across England and Wales have recorded over 10,000 slavery offences since April 2015 – almost half of them in 2018 alone.

In 2018, just three per cent of concluded cases ended in charges being brought, compared to 19 per cent between April and December 2015.

A Human Trafficking Foundation spokeswoman said giving victims more incentives, such as the right to remain in the UK, would encourage more to help police “put their traffickers behind bars”. A spokesman for the Crown Prosecution Service said when police did charge a suspect, they prosecuted 67 per cent of them.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, David Jamieson, said: “The nature of this crime means prosecutions can be hard to secure, but I have every faith that West Midlands Police will continue to do all it can to bring those responsible to justice.”