Britons urged to help tackle modern slavery by reporting concerns The Guardian, 17 January 2018

Local authorities are calling on members of the public to be alert to signs of modern-day slavery, as research suggests worrying gaps in reporting across Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Lancashire. The number of people referred to the government’s national referral mechanism (NRM), which identifies and supports victims, increased dramatically last summer. Between July and September 2017, 1,322 potential victims were referred, up 47% compared with the same period in 2016. But the National Crime Agency estimated that the number of victims was far greater, with tens of thousands of people living in conditions of slavery in the UK. Simon Blackburn, a councillor and chair of the Local Government Association’s (LGA) safer and stronger communities board, warned that residents may be “unwittingly using victims of modern slavery to wash their cars, paint their nails or lay their drives”. The research, by global risk analysts Verisk Maplecroft, used demographic data to predict the rates of slavery across 42 UK police force areas, and compared this with UK National Crime Agency victim data from 2015-16 and 2016-17. In 2015, a damning report revealed endemic exploitation inside the East Midlands garment industry. According to researchers at the University of Leicester, up to 90% of those working in the sector were paid £3 an hour – less than half the legal minimum wage. Verisk Maplecroft’s report ranked England’s largest cities as most susceptible to modern slavery. London, Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Bradford and Manchester are all located in the five most vulnerable police force areas. The five areas ranked least vulnerable were Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire, North Yorkshire and Sussex. Such areas are more rural, perform better for education and have a lower proportion of foreign-born residents. The report’s authors added that while major cities had higher rates of modern slavery, there were also frequent reports in the agricultural sector, on cannabis farms and in coastal port towns. It was also reported this week that “slave workers” from eastern Europe were being used to collect donated clothes from households on behalf of charities. The Times said men were arrested in Newcastle and Gateshead after an investigation into a suspected Lithuanian organised crime group. A dozen people were rescued from alleged slavery. The LGA, which represents 370 councils and all fire and rescue authorities in England and Wales, said the public should look out for warning signs, such as large numbers of people being transported to properties in vans, early in the morning or late at night. “Members of the public are our first line of defence when it comes to tackling this scourge, and we urge all our residents to be aware of the tell-tale warning signs of modern slavery, and report any concerns to police or their local authority,” said Blackburn. Other signs thought to indicate modern slavery include people who look as if they are being instructed or coached by somebody else, or who do not appear free to leave or move around their surroundings. Victims may appear deprived of food, water, medical care or sleep, or look to be in a situation of dependence. Kevin Hyland, the independent anti-slavery commissioner, said he had personally witnessed the impact of a member of the public reporting their suspicions to a local authority. “Police raided a carwash within weeks of the tipoff, identifying 12 potential victims of modern slavery in the process and arresting an individual on human trafficking offences,” he said. “The trigger was one individual noticing the ill-health of those manning the carwash.”