Kevin Hyland OBE is the first UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, as appointed by the Home Secretary. The creation of the Commissioner role is one of the key provisions of the landmark Modern Slavery Act, which received Royal Assent in March 2015.
In his new capacity, Mr Hyland will spearhead the UK’s fight against modern slavery, with a concerted focus on strengthening law enforcement efforts in the UK and internationally, ensuring that public authorities identify and support victims effectively, and working to prevent modern slavery crimes from occurring in the first place, both in the UK and other source countries.
Prior to undertaking this role, Mr Hyland was head of the Metropolitan Police’s Human Trafficking Unit, which was internationally recognised for developing best practice in anti-trafficking operations. He has over 30 years experience investigating organised crime and has been successful in securing convictions in some of the most challenging cases of slavery and trafficking.
Mr Hyland was also instrumental in the establishment of the Santa Marta Group, a high-level strategic partnership between international law enforcement agencies, the Catholic Church and civil society, which was launched at the Vatican by Pope Francis in 2014.
