Investigation of modern slavery: enhancing professional practice to foster survivor and witness confidence

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking (MSHT) are national and global intertwined threats to human rights. In England and Wales, the Modern Slavery Act 2015, states that modern slavery encompasses human trafficking and slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labour. Despite the presence of specific legislation, the prosecution rates for offenders remain alarmingly low, and MSHT has been deemed as one of the most complex crimes to investigate and investigators encounter difficulties with survivor engagement in the process.

This research will determine the key challenges and barriers faced by police, specifically investigators on MSHT teams in England and Wales. It will also analyse ‘best practices’ which have led to positive outcomes.

The research project will encompass a mixed-methods approach of quantitative and qualitative data collection. There will be two phases, the first with surveys and semi-structured interviews with approximately 25 investigators in MSHT teams from 4-5 different police forces in the midlands area. This will examine their experiences across all stages of MSHT investigations, including safeguarding, multi-agency collaboration, and training. The second phase will comprise of semi-structured interviews with a mixture of MSHT charity practitioners and MSHT Consultants. Similar themes will be examined with an emphasis on multi-agency working, barriers for survivors in reporting to the police and supporting prosecutions.

The analysis of the data is expected to provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and barriers in MSHT investigations. It will propose strategies to enhance survivor confidence and improve prosecutions of offenders. The study is anticipated to contribute to police workforce development and enhancing justice outcomes for survivors.