The conversation (full transcript)
Gabbi: Nikki, perhaps we could start by you telling us about your role and your experiences so far.
Nikki: I’m the Lead for Serious and Organised Criminality in South Yorkshire Police. I’ve worked in the area of modern slavery since 2017, and I now manage the modern slavery team. I’m also the Regional Chair of the Modern Slavery Threat Group.
Modern slavery is all around us – often hidden in plain sight. It can be in everyday services: hand car washes, nail bars, massage parlours operating as brothels, or pop-up brothels in residential premises where sexual exploitation is prevalent. But we also see forced labour in construction and the care industry, and people can become enslaved making our clothes, serving our food, picking our crops, working in factories, or working in houses as cooks, cleaners or nannies.
Victims may face violence or threats, be forced into inescapable debt, or have their passports taken away and face threats of deportation. Many people fell into this situation because they were trying to escape poverty or insecurity, improve their lives and support their families – and now they’re in a situation they can’t leave.
Complex supply chains can make it harder for businesses to spot exploitation and abuse – and in many cases, businesses can hide behind that complexity to evade responsibility. Forced labour is the second most common form of modern slavery in the UK. Since October 2019, around 16,500 people have been referred to the Home Office reporting forced labour – but we think we’re only scratching the surface. We estimate there are approximately 130,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK at any one time.
Gabbi: You’ve talked about the moment where you might start engaging with people who are victims of modern slavery. Can you take us through that journey to the point where you’re able to take action?
Nikki: Nationally, we have the National Referral Mechanism – the NRM – which is the UK’s system for identifying and protecting victims of modern slavery. Under the NRM, a small number of charities and public bodies, including the police, Border Force and the Home Office, can refer someone in to receive support. That support might cover housing, medical assistance, legal assistance, financial assistance – whatever they need.
We work in partnership with these organisations. If we identify a situation where we think someone may be being exploited, we’ll come together as a group to plan an operation. It’s crucial that we speak to potential victims away from the people we suspect may be perpetrators – so we run reception centres where people can feel comfortable and supported through that disclosure journey.
We also gather intelligence on organised criminality at larger scale. The dangerous routes people use to enter the country are often controlled by the same people who go on to exploit them once they arrive.
Recent legislation changes in 2023, introduced to curb illegal migration, have had a significant impact on victims of modern slavery. The new legislation requires victims to present greater proof of exploitation to qualify for support. Rejection rates for slavery cases rose from around 11% in 2022 to 45% in 2023 – which creates an enormous challenge for someone who has genuinely been exploited and now has to prove it in order to access help.
Gabbi: If you could wave a magic wand and change something about the structure of that process, what would it be?
Nikki: Resources are the real challenge. To secure a successful prosecution, we often need capabilities that aren’t always available to us. We have to employ covert tactics to gather evidence, and the cost and complexity of putting that together — while balancing so many competing risks – is significant.
We’re fortunate in South Yorkshire to have strong support at force level and from our partners. We have a robust response to modern slavery here, but it’s an area where we know we always need to do more.
Gabbi: Where are you seeing emerging risks as the landscape changes?
Nikki: We’re seeing less migration from European countries and more from Africa, Vietnam and China. We’re also seeing increased exploitation in the care industry, and a rise in cases involving people working as nannies or cleaners – often married to someone in the UK – who find themselves in a situation of domestic servitude. That kind of exploitation is very hidden.
Gabbi: What would you like to see from UK businesses to address the risks of modern slavery and forced labour in their supply chains?
Nikki: Under section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act, organisations in scope have a duty to publish a modern slavery statement. But the real question is how you get beyond that – how you actually understand whether there is forced labour in your supply chains.
Due diligence, risk assessments, and transparency policies all matter. But the real work comes from knowing your operations and knowing your staff. If you rely solely on what supervisors tell you about right-to-work checks, I don’t think you can be truly reassured. You need to speak directly to workers.
We do a lot of work around spotting the signs of modern slavery. Ask questions: do workers have access to their own passports? Are they paid into their own bank accounts? Is their accommodation tied to their work? Do they have genuine freedom about where they live? These are the details that can indicate forced labour in your supply chain.
There’s updated guidance – published in March – which helps businesses identify forced labour at two levels: accessible recommendations for those new to the area, and more detailed, in-depth guidance for organisations with more experience.
Educating yourself about how to spot the signs is important – and if you do think you’ve identified something, have the confidence to report it. It doesn’t matter if you’re wrong. We welcome calls for advice and we’ll do what we need to do to reassure ourselves that everything is in order. You can report to the police, to the Modern Slavery Helpline, or to the GLAA. There’s a lot of support available.
Know the type of work your people are engaged in. Have those conversations. Do those checks.
