Efforts to tackle modern slavery will be undermined and victims left to suffer if government plans to remove funding for a dedicated team are not reversed, experts have warned.
From April, support is being pulled for the long-running Modern Slavery and Organised Immigration Crime Unit (MSOICU), which co-ordinates police forces across the country and facilitates intelligence and analysis sharing.
Experts, including those working in the field, claim the decision is political and not justified by outcomes. They warned it would hinder investigations into complex cases such as the alleged networks of enablers around Jeffrey Epstein and Mohamed Al Fayed.
One source said there was “less of an appetite for funding for modern slavery and human trafficking” because of the government’s shift in focus towards immigration.
“Pandering to what the government perceives to be a good way of winning back votes will have a detrimental effect on [our ability to tackle] modern slavery,” they said.
The move is understood to have been controversial within the Home Office and ministers are said to have pushed back against the decision by home secretary Shabana Mahmood.
A recent parliamentary report said there are about 130,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK, despite landmark legislation in 2015 to tackle the offence. A report by charity Unseen last October estimated that – alongside the human tragedy – the socioeconomic cost to the UK is around £60bn a year.
Andrew Wallis, chief executive of Unseen, said he was “deeply concerned” about the funding cut.
"Changes in legislation, plus the lack of strategic focus this decision will cause, means that not only will we have fewer prosecutions, we will have fewer victims discovered," he added. “Unless you put the resources forward there will be more lives in misery, and the opportunities for justice and restitution for victims will decrease.”
Sarah Champion, the Labour MP for Rotherham who is a modern slavery campaigner, said: “I understand finances are tight, but I hope we are not going back to the dark days of prioritising one horrific crime over another.
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“Modern slavery is rampant in the UK and we need to invest in prevention and also supporting the vulnerable victims.”
Champion urged Mahmood to reconsider the decision “for the sake of victims and the police officers who rely on MSOICU”.
Phil Brewer, the former head of the Metropolitan Police’s anti-trafficking unit, echoed her views. “Modern slavery can be an extremely complex crime, with many survivors never completely recovering from their experiences,” he said.
“The MSOICU offered focus and wide-ranging support to UK policing when investigating modern slavery crimes.
“The withdrawal of that funding will have consequences for vulnerable individuals and communities.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Modern slavery crimes are complex to investigate and prosecute, and we are determined to safeguard victims and bring perpetrators to justice.
“We have been working closely with the modern slavery and organised immigration crime unit and National Crime Agency to ensure key functions and national coordination are preserved.”
Photograph by Bruno Vincent/Getty Images