Slavery: Prosecutions

(asked on 8th July 2020) - View Source

Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the effective prosecution of those who commit crimes related to modern slavery.


Answered by
Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait
Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
This question was answered on 13th July 2020

The Government is committed to tackling modern slavery and bringing perpetrators of these heinous crimes to justice.

The Modern Slavery Act 2015 gives law enforcement the tools and powers to tackle modern slavery, including a maximum life sentences for perpetrators and enhanced protection for victims. There has been a significant increase in operational law enforcement activity to tackle modern slavery over the last few years. The number of live police operations has increased, from 188 in December 2016 to 1,640 in May 2020. We are also seeing an increase in the number of prosecutions brought and convictions secured. We continue to work closely with criminal justice partners to improve the effectiveness of modern slavery investigations to help increase the overall number of prosecutions.

The Home Office has provided a further £1.4 million this year to continue dedicated funding for the police to tackle modern slavery, under the new Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Programme. This funding will enable us to support the police to pursue and disrupt offenders and drive forward work to increase modern slavery prosecutions.

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