Are lay people and police officers able to recognise cases of modern slavery.

What is it about?

In 2005, we have surveyed police officers in North and South Wales as well as students at Bangor University to find out if they can recognize cases of modern slavery. We have also asked about the police officers‘ and students‘ sources of information on modern slavery and about any training that they may have recieved. Our findings show that police officers were able to correctly identify almost all scenarios of modern slavery they were given. Those scenarios were developed from court cases and published sources, as well as from training events held with officers. The results thus show that when a police force makes modern slavery a priority, which is championed internally by a dedicated lead, the preparedness of the force to fight this type of crime can be improved. For comparison, our student sample is less able to correctly identify case scenarios as modern slavery. But there is a silver lining: students understand that those are crimes. It is then up to the police officers who are receiving information by members of the public to invoke measures against modern slavery. Certainly, if modern slavery is covered more often in the media, which will happen as cases go to court, awareness will rise. The study concludes that modern slavery is correctly perceived as a major challenge for a liberal society based on the principles of individual freedom, including free labour. When people learn about cases of modern slavery, a strong moral disapproval follows, which is evidenced by a punitive response. Police officers and students wanted to see the perpetrators punished. Our study is published and available on the journal website: Machura, Stefan, Short, Fay, Hill, Victoria Margaret, Suddaby, Catherine Rhian, Goddard, Ffion Elena, Jones, Sophie Elisabeth, Lloyd-Astbury, Emma Louise, Richardson, Luke, Rouse, and Chernise, Alexandra (2018). Recognising Modern Slavery. Journal of Human Trafficking, https://doi.org/ 10.1080/23322705.2018.1471863. The article abstract reads: "Modern Slavery" comprises of forms of extreme labour exploitation. With its Modern Slavery Law 2015, the UK is said to be at the forefront of international efforts to address the crime. But to be effective, members of the public and officers of government agencies need to be able to recognize situations as modern slavery. Students and police officers were given seven scenarios developed from real cases and the literature. It turns out that police officers recognise most of the scenarios, in contrast to students. Identifying situations as modern slavery appears related to strong moral disapproval, resulting in preferences for harsher punishment. After all, modern slavery challenges the foundations of a liberal society.

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Why is it important?

Modern slavery constitutes a heinous crime that basically takes away a victims freedom and life. It is therefore important to know how modern slavery is understood by lay people and police officers as this will determine their reaction to any situation in which the crime manifests itself.

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