More than 150 possible slavery victims identified in Nottinghamshire

United Kingdom – More than 150 possible slavery victims were identified in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands region of England last year. Half of the victims involved children. The cases were referred to police in Nottinghamshire.

The slavery cases increased nationally last year in Nottinghamshire as the data showed that thousands of potential victims were identified in 2021. The victims meaning referrals for support in 2021 were the highest on record.

Reportedly, police chiefs said that the data is unlikely to show the true numbers of modern slavery and trafficking in the United Kingdom (UK). Police said that they need to do more to tackle the issue.

Home Office data revealed that 173 potential cases of modern slavery were reported to Nottinghamshire Police last year. Reportedly, at least 88 or 51 per cent of all referrals involved child victims. The figures revealed that 20 referrals were linked to labour-related exploitation.

Reportedly, the number of referrals increased by 16 per cent from 149 in 2020.

Nottinghamshire Police adopting measures to eradicate modern slavery

Detective Inspector Nikki Smith of Nottinghamshire Police said that eradicating slavery is the top priority for police chiefs of Nottinghamshire. Smith added, “We act positively on any reports of modern slavery that come to us. We have a dedicated modern slavery team who work closely with partner agencies to investigate the case.”  Thousands of officers were trained to investigate the issue of modern slavery.

According to Chad, labour exploitation was most common among adult victims while criminal exploitation led to most child-related referrals. Some 12,727 potential victims of trafficking, slavery and forced labour were identified last year in the UK.

Campaign group, After Exploitation, which tracks modern slavery data, described this rise as a “worrying trend” and called for measures to eradicate slavery. However, Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for modern slavery, linked increased referrals nationally to greater awareness among people.