Ford welcomes formal appointment of Kevin Hyland as Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner

Kevin Hyland was officially appointed as Independent Anti-slavery Commissioner for the United Kingdom from 31 July, having carried out the role on a designate basis since November 2014.

Justice Minister David Ford (right) today with Aodhán Ó Ríordáin TD, Minister of State at the Department of Justice and Equality (left) and Kevin Hyland, the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner at a Cross Border Conference on Forced Labour.

David Ford said:“I am pleased that Kevin Hyland’s appointment has now been formalised . One could not fail to be impressed by the commitment he has shown to the role already. For instance, he has been to Northern Ireland as Commissioner Designate on a number of occasions and spoke at the recent Organised Crime Task Force Annual Report and Threat Assessment launch.

“As a result of his engagement to date, he has begun to establish strong relationships and links with both non governmental stakeholders and statutory agencies here. I look forward to continuing to work with him. I have no doubt that he can assist us in ensuring that our response to human trafficking and slavery, in all its forms, continues to be as robust as possible. An important element of that is his ability to look at experience and practice across the United Kingdom.”.

The Anti-slavery Commissioner was appointed under section 40 of the Westminster Modern Slavery Act 2015 which takes effect from 31 July.

Notes to editors: 

1. In line with section 40 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, the Commissioner is appointed by the Home Secretary following consultation with the Department of Justice and Scottish Ministers.

2. The Commissioner’s role is to encourage good practice in preventing, detecting, investigating and prosecuting slavery and human trafficking offences, and in the identification of victims of those offences.

3. Kevin Hyland is a former Detective Inspector of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). Upon his retirement in summer 2014, Mr. Hyland was head of the MPS’ Human Trafficking Unit.

4. For all media queries, please contact the DOJ Press Office on 028 9052 6444. Out of office hours please contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07699 715440 and your call will be returned.

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