The Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) said it had made over 100 arrests and rescued more than 1,300 exploited workers since it was granted “police-style powers” last May to tackle trafficking and slavery.
It said forced labor accounted for about 30 percent of all exploitation in Britain and most victims were male EU nationals from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Romania and Slovakia.
The GLAA said it was unclear how Brexit would affect the drive to stop human trafficking but it was the key factor likely to impact the intelligence picture in coming years.
“Dependent upon worker restrictions, there may be a drop in intelligence flows as EU nationals will seek to remain under the radar of any law enforcement/immigration activity,” the GLAA said in a report.
