Number of modern slavery victims ‘could be much higher than official estimates suggest’

THERE MIGHT be thousands more victims of modern slavery in the UK than official figures suggest, according to research by a Yorkshire expert.

Dr Nadia Wager, who is Reader in Forensic Psychology at the University of Huddersfield, has pioneered a new technique for discovering the scale of the trade in human misery.

Drawing on new sources of data from support services, Dr Wager arrived at a figure of 2,500 for the number of victims in the Thames Valley police force area in 2016, compared with official estimates of just 533 victims.

The academic also says that people trafficked from overseas probably account for just half of the people being exploited as modern slaves in Britain.

She said: “What we found in Thames Valley was that about 50 per cent of the victims were not internationally trafficked, but were actually resident in the UK.”

She added: “Children who have been in care are often given social housing when they leave the care system. But they happen to be vulnerable and in need of affection so people befriend them and then invade their home.

“It is usually dealers who want to stash drugs or make the person go drug-running for them. They completely control that person’s life”.

Recommendations from Dr Wager’s project include the importance of agencies in fields such as housing and drug rehabilitation, as well as taking down barriers and recognising shared responsibilities towards modern slavery victims.

Earlier this year, council leaders warned of a rise in the number of potential modern slavery victims identified as they called on the public to act as the “first line of defence” in efforts to tackle the scourge. They highlighted official figures showing a jump in cases flagged up to authorities last year.

From July to September, 1,322 people were referred to the National Referral Mechanism, a framework established to identify potential victims. This was a ten per cent increase on the previous three months, and a rise of nearly half compared with July to September 2016.

The Local Government Association, which represents councils in England and Wales, is urging residents to familiarise themselves with a number of warning signs.