Lord Advocate speaks at Modern Slavery Summit

Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC has attended an international summit which aims to establish a strong and active international network of expert prosecutors tackling people trafficking, modern slavery, and forced labour.

The event was hosted by the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, Alison Saunders CB.

The summit, titled ‘Stepping Up the Level of Prosecution for People Trafficking, Modern Slavery, Organised Immigration Crime and Forced Labour Across Europe’ was announced by the Prime Minister at the UN General Assembly in September 2017.

The Lord Advocate chaired the session titled ‘Strengthening the prosecutorial process’ which examined ways to work more effectively and flexibly across jurisdictions and to improve co-operation and sharing of good practice.

The Lord Advocate said: “Human trafficking is a serious and complex crime that presents unique challenges to investigators and prosecutors.

“This event presents us all with a real opportunity to strengthen our collective response to the transnational crimes of human trafficking, modern slavery, organised immigration crime and forced labour.

“Law enforcement agencies have always had to address cross-border issues: persons who commit a crime in one jurisdiction and flee to another; and crimes which cross jurisdictional borders. Today, technological, social and economic developments across the globe have facilitated the commission of new crimes and the commission of old crimes in new ways.

“Those developments have played a significant role in facilitating the activities of criminals involved in the international trafficking and exploitation of human beings.

“It is palpable in the cases that we encounter that individuals who commit these offences are no longer restricted by legal notions such as borders or jurisdiction.”

He added: “If we are to tackle these offences in a meaningful way we must embrace the idea that the most effective response is collaborative working, sharing experience and upholding a common set of standards to make sure that transnational offences are dealt with swiftly, robustly and effectively.

“In February 2016, my predecessor and the heads of the prosecution services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland signed a set of commitments with the overarching goal that the prosecuting authorities in the United Kingdom will work closely together to disrupt networks, prosecuting traffickers and safeguarding victims’ rights within the criminal justice process.”