Huge increase in reports of modern slavery in Suffolk last year

More potential victims of modern slavery are being referred to the Home Office than ever before and Suffolk police have seen the number of reports increase significantly in the past year. The constabulary investigated 102 potential cases of modern slavery during 2021

This is a rise of 55 per cent compared to the 66 cases from the year before. The figures for Suffolk are also well above the national rise of 20 per cent which still signifies that the UK is seeing record highs in modern slavery currently.

Of those 102 potential cases of modern slavery investigated by Suffolk Constabulary last year, 70 victims were children and many were likely exploited by criminal gangs. All of the people engaged with were channelled through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which is the UK’s identification and support system for possible victims of human trafficking, slavery, servitude or forced labour.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said: “Tackling modern slavery and the exploitation of vulnerable people remains a priority for Suffolk police. We need to open people’s eyes to the slavery all around them, and encourage victims to speak out. There is no ‘typical victim’ and this affects all ages, genders and nationalities across the various types of modern slavery.”

The force is recruiting more modern slavery champions for its Modern slavery and Vulnerable Communities Team (MSVC), which runs training days for the champions and victim liaison officers to increase knowledge across the force with more champions across the county to provide support. This team also engages regularly with local businesses which have links to modern slavery such as nail bars, car washes and factories. They are engaging with local communities to build trust and rapport which is increasing the amount of intelligence the force has coming in about possible cases of modern slavery and human trafficking.

The spokesperson added: “Slavery takes many forms but the most common include criminal exploitation, sexual exploitation, forced labour and domestic servitude with limited access to support, finance, medical provision and proper nutrition.”

Nationally, Home Office figures show that there were 12,727 potential victims of modern slavery referred in 2021, which is a 20% rise from 10,601 the year before. This is also the highest number recorded since the NRM began in 2009. A smaller percentage of the potential victims were children – 43% – compared with 69% in Suffolk.