• The CPS has opened its modern slavery casework to independent scrutiny, chaired by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
• Referrals are at a record high, and the CPS wants to close the gap between victims identified and prosecutions.
• The Panel's learning is already changing training, guidance and casework practice.
• Where cases reach prosecution, outcomes are strong: more than three-quarters of the 397 flagged prosecutions in the year to date June 2026 resulted in a conviction.
• Scrutiny will continue into 2026/27.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has today published the first report from its Modern Slavery National Scrutiny Panel, setting out what it has learned from independent review of completed cases and the action it is taking.

The Panel, chaired by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons was launched in May 2025. It brings together the CPS with the National Police Chiefs' Council, the National Crime Agency, the Home Office, academics, people with lived experience and organisations including the Salvation Army, Barnardo's, Justice and Care and Stop the Traffik.

In the year to date June 2026, the CPS recorded 397 prosecutions for modern slavery flagged crimes in England and Wales, with over three-quarters resulting in a conviction.

The report references the number of potential victims of modern slavery referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) across the UK reached 25,373 according to the Home Office in the year ending June 2026, the highest since the system began. 

The Panel has reviewed completed cases involving county lines, sexual exploitation and forced labour. It found that building evidence from the outset, including phone and financial evidence, body-worn video and, where appropriate, hearsay applications, can help secure convictions even where a victim's engagement with the court process is limited or changes over time.

It also highlighted the importance of identifying early when a defendant may themselves be a victim who has been forced to commit crimes, so that prosecutors can consider the statutory defence under section 45 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Baljit Ubhey, Crown Prosecution Service’s Director of Policy, said: “Modern slavery is among the most complex and hidden crimes we prosecute. By opening our casework to independent scrutiny, including from people with lived experience, we can see what is working, where we need to improve, and make sure that learning reaches prosecutors across England and Wales.

" Prosecutors will continue to work closely with the police from an early stage in an investigation and that potential survivors of trafficking are identified and supported throughout the legal process to seek justice against these exploitative criminals.”

Eleanor Lyons, Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, said: “Behind every modern slavery case is a person whose life has been profoundly and often devastatingly affected by exploitation. The record number of victims being identified across the UK underlines the scale of this crime, and the urgent need to ensure our criminal justice response keeps pace.

“ The CPS Modern Slavery Scrutiny Panel is an important step towards closing the gap between victim identification and successful prosecutions. By bringing independent scrutiny to real cases, we are helping turn learning into meaningful improvements in investigations, prosecutions, and casework practice. 

“ We must do more to ensure that every opportunity to hold perpetrators to account is pursued. Our focus must be on delivering justice for survivors and strengthening the response to modern slavery.”

Ben Samples, Crown Prosecution Service National Thematic Modern Slavery Deputy Lead, said: "Every case we review teaches us something we can use in current and future casework. Our national network of modern slavery lead prosecutors ensures that learning goes straight into practice, so our lawyers can spot exploitation sooner and build stronger cases."

The Panel meets twice a year and will continue into 2026/27.