The number of slavery cases reported in London is expected to leap by more than 60 per cent this year, according to the head of the Metropolitan Police's modern-day slavery and kidnap unit.
DCI Phil Brewer said the force expects as many as 1,600 cases of human trafficking to be referred to it in 2017, an increase on the 1,000 from 2016, which was itself a 260 per cent rise on the year before that.
The figures "will come as a blow to Theresa May who as Home Secretary led the fight against modern-day slavery", says The Guardian.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Despite government action against human trafficking, culminating in the Modern Day Slavery Act 2015, campaigners say many potential cases are still being missed.
Tamara Barnett of the Human Trafficking Foundation said: "Victims are not being identified. When they are being identified, they are not being protected and criminals are getting away with their abuse."
"Modern slavery is something of a new buzzword," she added. "But with human trafficking, we are where we were with domestic violence 25 years ago or [female genital mutilation] five or ten years ago."
Three men are to be sentenced at Kingston Crown Court, South London, today after pleading guilty to trafficking offences following a joint operation between UK and Romanian police.
The men smuggled girls and women from Romania to the UK and then forced them to have sex with as many as 15 men a day.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
Met Police clean-up: more than 1,000 officers suspended or on restricted duties'Eye-watering' figures show scale of challenge to restore public trust
-
Wimbledon school car crash: tributes pour in for eight-year-old as woman quizzed
Speed Read Officers question driver and study CCTV after child died in tragedy
-
What happened to Chris Kaba?
Speed Read Suspension of police officer who fired fatal shot branded ‘far too little, far too late’
-
What happened to Owami Davies?
Speed Read Student nurse found seven weeks after last sighting
-
What we know about the Copenhagen mall shooting
Speed Read Lone gunman had mental health issues and not thought to have terror motive, police say
-
Texas school shooting: parents turn anger on police
Speed Read Officers had to be urged to enter building where gunman killed 21 people
-
DJ Tim Westwood denies multiple sexual misconduct allegations
Speed Read At least seven women accuse the radio and TV presenter of predatory behaviour dating back three decades
-
What happened to Katie Kenyon?
Speed Read Man charged as police search for missing 33-year-old last seen getting into van
