Since the introduction of human trafficking offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 the number of prosecutions brought to court has increased from 16 in 2004-05 to 116 in 2006-07.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) can only prosecute those cases which are referred to it by investigators. The CPS is working with colleagues in the Home Office to strengthen and improve investigation, law enforcement and the prosecution process against those who commit human trafficking offences.
The UK Action Plan on tackling human trafficking, which was published on 23 March 2007, recognises the need to ensure that human trafficking becomes part of ‘core’ police business by improving the capability of the police and their partners. Actions include the development of ‘key diagnostic indicators’ to measure performance and progress in dealing with human trafficking issues.
The United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) is now recognised as the central point for the development of law enforcement expertise. The CPS is working closely with the UKHTC in developing .and taking forward training packages and courses for police, other law enforcement agencies and Crown prosecutors. Training, together with the development of an early victim identification toolkit for front-line police and immigration officers, will enable identification of trafficked victims at the earliest opportunity. This should prevent potential trafficked victims who have committed immigration offences from being removed before providing information or intelligence to investigators.