The number of children thought to be victims has risen by 66 per cent in just two years.
UK authorities received more than 5,000 reports of potential victims of modern slavery last year, a record number, the National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed today.
There were 5,145 potential victims referred in 2017, up 35 per cent from 2016 and the number has almost tripled since 2013, when there were 1,745 cases.
The NCA said British nationals made up the highest number of cases for the first time, followed by people from Albania and Vietnam.
And the number of children believed to be victims has risen from 66% over just two years.
The increase in child referrals was partly because of the growth of a drug supply route, known as “county lines”, the NCA said, where city-based gangs use young people as couriers to move drugs to rural and coastal areas.
NCA’s deputy director, Tom Dowdall said: “they are enticed by wealth but quickly coerced by violence.
“[Our assessment] adds further evidence to our view that the figures almost certainly represent an underestimate of the true scale of slavery and trafficking in the UK.”
But funding for the two frontline services responsible for tackling modern slavery and the criminals behind it has been drastically cut under Tory austerity over the past eight years.
Police forces across the UK have lost over 21,000 officers and the UK Border Force has seen its funding slashed by 15 per cent. And by some estimates, it’s even higher.
Funding for the border force divided by the number of people crossing passport control has dropped from £5.80 spent in 2011 to £4.34 two years ago – a decrease of over 25 per cent.
And it was revealed last year that the government were considering using volunteers to police the border following the massive cuts.
As Diane Abbott Labour’s shadow home secretary pointed out:
“The National Crime Agency report shows that recorded modern slavery is clearly rising. These are terrible, brutal crimes against the most vulnerable in our society.
“But the Tories cut staff at the Border Force, have axed 21,000 police officers and cut other police staff. They are the frontline in the fight against modern slavery and other hidden or complex crimes.
“In government, Labour will add hundreds of new border guards and ten thousand new police officers and tackle the scourge of modern slavery head-on.”
Tory cuts putting the safety of the most vulnerable at risk yet again…
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