The Home Secretary has announced £8.5m of funding for law enforcement agencies to better tackle modern slavery. The funding, granted until 2018/19 after a bid to the Police Transformation Fund, will go towards intelligence and analysis to assess the threat at a national and regional level, and operational response.
The national effort, led by Devon and Cornwall Police, will provide over 50 more analysts, specialists and investigators who will assist the police in England and Wales, the Home Office said.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd, pictured, said: “Modern slavery is a barbaric crime which destroys the lives of the most vulnerable in our society. This government has taken world-leading action to tackle it, by strengthening the law enforcement response and increasing support and protection for victims, but we must do even more. That is why I am announcing significant investment that will help our law enforcement agencies bring the perpetrators of this intolerable crime to justice. Our message to slave-drivers and traffickers is clear: we are coming to get you and you have nowhere to hide.
Devon and Cornwall Police Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, the national policing lead on modern slavery, organised immigration crime and migration matters said: “I share the Home Secretary’s unequivocal commitment to further improving the UK response to modern slavery. Police have invested in specialist investigators, developed a cross-country network, trained officers and led successful operations to tackle trafficking and exploitation of people for profit. This significant financial investment from the transformation fund enables us to do more. We will use the funding to bring in more specialist officers, improve our intelligence on traffickers and run more proactive operations that bring criminals to justice and protect victims.”
For more, by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner visit http://www.antislaverycommissioner.co.uk/.
