A problem of perspective? A critical analysis of the police and public perception of human trafficking in England and Wales

Modern slavery (MS) is a growing concern in the UK. Despite the large number of victims per year, the general public lacks sufficient knowledge and understanding of this form of organised crime. There may be a problem of perspective in which the UK have become sex centric, focusing on female victims of sex trafficking, more so than other subgroups of exploitation. In this process other harmful forms of modern slavery which target the male gender may be overlooked. Across the general public, the per-spective of an ideal victim of slavery may create a profile of a typical victim. A victim of slavery may be categorised as a female slave being exploited for the purpose of sex. Consequently, this may result in the public turning a blind eye to male exploitation. Moreover, any individual that does not fit the ideal ‘stereotype’ may be significantly disadvantaged and not receive the appropriate support nor initial identification. The public may gain most of their MS knowledge through the media and film industry which arguably all promote a certain type of victim. If the public perceive sex trafficking to be the most prevalent and harmful form of slavery in England, arguably this may directly influence the police per-spective and action towards MS. Police forces around England may feel pressured to be seen as priori-tising the issue of sex trafficking over other forms of MS. Therefore, the public perception may have a great influence on the police perception, and vice versa. This thesis critically analyses the Police and Public understanding and perception of modern slavery in the south-east of England. It aims to fill gaps in the research and shed light on the main issues in order for lessons to be learnt. Key issues such as; some forms of trafficking are prioritised and deemed as more severe than others and that this may influence the effectiveness of responses. The main research questions are as follows. What knowledge of modern slavery do the police and public hold? Which forms of human trafficking are perceived to be most harmful and prevalent? What do the police and the public perceive a typical victim of slavery to look like?