Lockbit cybercrime gang disrupted by Britain, US and EU
London, UK Reuters Lockbit, a notorious cybercrime gang that holds its victims’ data to ransom, has been disrupted in a rare international law enforcement operation by Britain’s National Crime Agency, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, Europol and a coalition of international police agencies, according to a post on the gang’s extortion website on Monday. […]
UK gangs could recruit more child drug mules as lockdown lifts
London, UKThomson Reuters Foundation Criminal gangs that use young people to sell drugs across Britain could recruit more out-of-school children as the country’s coronavirus lockdown eases, the National Crime Agency said, also warning of a spike in online child sex abuse. As lockdowns lift globally and several countries consider reopening borders, criminals will likely ramp […]
Reports of suspected slavery rise by 36 per cent in Britain
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Reports of suspected modern slavery in Britain rose by more than a third in 2018, according to government data released on Tuesday, but campaigners said even that was likely only “the tip of the iceberg”. Police, charities and other first responders referred 6,993 potential modern slavery cases to the government’s National Referral […]
Drug gangs drive huge rise in UK child slavery cases
LondonThomson Reuters Foundation Modern slavery cases involving British children doubled in 2018 as criminal gangs exploit and use more young people to deal drugs, the National Crime Agency said on Wednesday. The number of suspected British child slaves referred to the government last year for support rose to 1,421 – from 676 in 2017 – […]
Soaring number of suspected slaves in UK sparks alarm over support
Thomson Reuters Foundation At least 7,000 suspected victims of modern slavery were uncovered in Britain last year, up a third on 2017, according to data that campaigners said on Friday raised concerns about the government’s ability to support a growing number of survivors. A larger share of men – six in 10 of the possible […]
UK anti-slavery hotline uncovers almost 5,000 potential victims in first year
Thomson Reuters Foundation Britain’s modern slavery helpline received thousands of calls in its first full year and identified nearly 5,000 potential victims being exploited in car washes, construction sites, nail bars and brothels, an anti-trafficking charity said on Monday. Unseen, which runs the hotline, said the 3,710 calls from the public and from victims last […]
From child drug mules to migrant smuggling, reports of slavery soar in Britain
Thomson Reuters Foundation From children being forced by gangs to carry illegal drugs, to migrants smuggled into Britain and trapped in exploitative work, reports of slavery in Britain have surged as authorities crack down on the crime, according to data released on Monday. The National Crime Agency said it received 5,145 reports of suspected slavery victims in […]
Roving British photo exhibition casts light on ‘invisible’ modern slavery
Thomson Reuters Foundation Top – The “Invisible People” exhibition on display in south London; Below – Photographer Rory Carnegie in front of his work at the exhibition. PICTURES: Cormac O’Brien/Thomson Reuters Foundation A woman is strewn on a dirty mattress wrapped in a dishevelled leopard print dress, wearing a short blue wig. A butcher clad […]