Modern slavery crime recording rules (Appendix C)
Major investigation and public protection — Authorised Professional Practice
Summary
This section outlines the requirements for recording incidents of modern slavery within police forces. All reported incidents must be logged in the force crime system and classified according to specified provisions. Incidents where victims report directly to the police or police referrals into the national referral mechanism (NRM) are mandatory for recording as modern slavery crimes. Once recorded, these incidents will maintain their classification until evidence supports a reclassification to a confirmed crime. The decision to document a crime should not be deferred until after a criminal investigation outcome. Guidance on modern slavery crime recording can be provided by the relevant force crime registrar.
Key principles
- 1Record all reports of modern slavery in the force crime system.
- 2Mandatory recording for NRM referrals and direct reports from victims.
- 3Maintain crime classification unless reclassification occurs based on evidence.
- 4Do not delay recording based on the criminal investigation outcome.
- 5Consult the force crime registrar for specific guidance.
Defined terms
- national referral mechanism (NRM)
- A framework for identifying and supporting victims of modern slavery and human trafficking in the UK.
Full guidance
Modern slavery crime recording rules (Appendix C)
Responding to public protection and major investigation issues, for example, child abuse, knife crime and sexual offences
This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.
All reported incidents of modern slavery should be recorded on the force crime system in accordance with the following provisions and, for forces live on the Home Office Data Hub, against the listed specific codes.
All referrals made by the police into the national referral mechanism (NRM) and/or incidents where victims report to police directly must be subject of a recorded crime of modern slavery.
Once recorded and classified, a reported incident of modern slavery will remain recorded as such unless, or until, it is reclassified as a confirmed crime of modern slavery in addition to any other notifiable crime as appropriate. Such reclassification must take place as soon as the reporting officer is satisfied that it is more likely than not that a notifiable crime has been committed or a positive grounds decision is returned. The decision to record a crime must not be delayed pending the outcome of the criminal investigation.
The relevant force crime registrar can advise on modern slavery crime recording.
For further information, go to the **Home Office Crime Recording Rules for Frontline Officers and Staff 2025/26**(opens an external website in the same tab) .
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Read the full APP guidanceSource: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.