"UK set to appoint top cop as new anti-slavery chief - media", 3 February 2019

One of Britain's most senior police officers is set to be appointed the country's new anti-slavery chief almost nine months after the inaugural commissioner resigned citing government interference, the Times newspaper said... Sara Thornton, head of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) since 2015, will take up the role later this year, the British newspaper reported.

Britain's Home Office (interior ministry) said it could not confirm the appointment, and that a candidate would be "announced shortly"...

Kevin Hyland was appointed as the inaugural independent anti-slavery commissioner in 2014 as part of Britain's landmark Modern Slavery Act, but he resigned last May... saying he had been frustrated by government meddling...

Campaigners said the new anti-slavery chief should ensure Britain's approach to tackling modern slavery and human trafficking goes far beyond just relying on law enforcement...

Britain is home to at least 136,000 modern slaves, according to the Global Slavery Index by rights group Walk Free Foundation...