On July 5th, 2023, James Daly MP attended the Human Affairs Committee meeting on human trafficking.
James started by questioning Assistant Chief Constable Jim Pearce on the reasons behind a 2% charge rate of all police investigations of modern slavery cases. He stated, “To me there is something fundamentally wrong with how the police are investigating matters. That we continue to have these figures put in front of us which is just not acceptable. I don’t think they are acceptable to the public.” James continued to press the Assistant Chief Constable and the Director of Threat Leadership at the National Crime Agency. He questioned, “Parliament directed that these matters are required by the police to be investigated in a proper way. So who is being held accountable for these errors?”
James pinpointed the issue when questioning Caroline Haughey, OBE KC and prominent prosecutor for human trafficking, saying, “The justice system that we have, if there is a case to answer, it should be put in front of a court, not to be discussed between the police and the CPS prior to getting there.” Throughout the committee questioning, James continued to press on the importance of increasing the rate of charges, congratulating Detective Sergeant Stu Peall on the 30% charge rate in Lancashire.
James Daly concluded by discussing the importance of believing and working with victims, as well as encouraging police and CPS coordination.
