Letter in response to Times article on modern slavery

A letter was sent to the Times this week in response to an article which outlined concern that the CPS 'is failing to convert a sharp increase in the number of modern slavery cases into convictions'.

The article claimed 'the tally of cases referred to the CPS is not available' and that prosecutors are 'too timid' when making charging decisions. In fact, referral statistics are published annually in our Violence Against Women and Girls report - which showed a modest rise in referrals from the police last year, along with a charging rate only slightly below that for all crimes.

The Times have so far been unwilling to publish the letter, which is reproduced in full below.

Sir,

Your report, ‘Prosecutors too timid in slavery cases, police claim’, presents a partial view of what is a complex picture across the criminal justice system. Contrary to that report, the tally of cases referred to the CPS for a charging decision is freely available in our annual Violence Against Women and Girls report. It shows that, in 2016/17, 271 such referrals were made with a little under 70% of those being charged - only slightly under the national average for all crimes. This was a moderate rise of 25 referrals from the previous year. The inspectorate report cited in your article concluded that trafficking and slavery cases are well handled by prosecutors. There is no crisis meeting.

The number of prosecutions may seem low when compared to the thousands of victims who enter the referral mechanism, but the CPS can only consider charges once a case has been referred by the police. For entirely valid reasons, police may be unable to commence an investigation or identify a suspect for potential prosecution. Disruption and victim support might be prioritised over criminal investigation, while the international nature of this issue means that we often do not have jurisdiction to prosecute. Where this is the case, we work with international colleagues to enable them to prosecute.

The CPS is committed to strengthening our response to modern slavery and human trafficking. This will only succeed as part of a joint effort with our criminal justice partners, including the police, which recognises the substantial challenges faced at all stages of the investigative and prosecutorial processes.

ALISON SAUNDERS
Director of Public Prosecutions