About the Project
Secure Reporting for Migrant Londoners is a pilot project led by Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX) and commissioned by the Greater London Authority to tackle abuse, exploitation and crime in the city.
The pilot:
- seeks to develop, test and embed secure reporting practices across London. Working in partnership with public authorities, civil society organisations and community groups.
- aims to support the development of a holistic, victim-centred approach to secure reporting that can be integrated into existing safeguarding, enforcement and public service frameworks.
“Secure reporting”, also referred to as “safe reporting” or a “firewall”, is a set of practices and procedures designed to ensure that when an individual reports being a victim or witness of a crime, their personal data is not shared with the Home Office or Immigration Enforcement, unless there is a clear legal duty to do so.
Secure reporting also requires that individuals are clearly informed about the circumstances in which information may be shared and the protections available to them when engaging with public authorities.
The sharing of personal data by public authorities with the Home Office can have serious consequences for people with insecure immigration status, including detention, removal, deportation, family separation, housing insecurity and loss of employment. As a result, many migrants are reluctant to report crimes, safeguarding concerns or exploitation, or to engage with police or public authorities when they experience harm. These fears are frequently exploited by perpetrators as a means of coercion and control.
Data sharing thus creates significant barriers to identifying and responding to abuse and exploitation, particularly in cases involving domestic abuse, trafficking, modern slavery, labour exploitation, sexual violence and other forms of harm affecting migrant communities, including many women and girls.
As a result, crimes and safeguarding concerns often remain hidden, perpetrators are less likely to be identified, and opportunities for early intervention are lost. Abuse and exploitation can therefore escalate, causing greater harm and requiring more resource-intensive responses at a later stage.
Pilot Progress
In the first year of the Secure Reporting for Migrant Londoners Pilot, we undertook extensive research with public authorities, including the Metropolitan Police Service and several London Borough Councils, alongside migrant community organisations and frontline immigration, homelessness and labour rights services.
The research was guided by a central question:
What is needed to ensure a successful secure reporting model for victims and survivors of all crimes and all immigration statuses in London?
In response to our research findings, we developed a Blueprint to support public authorities in embedding secure reporting practices within existing safeguarding, enforcement and public service structures. Now in the second year of the pilot, we are working alongside local authorities and community partners to implement the Blueprint, in order to develop sustainable and robust secure reporting practices that respond to the diverse needs and experiences of London’s migrant communities, while strengthening safeguarding, public protection and trust in public services.
The project is supported by a Secure Reporting Advisory Group, with the following members:
- Lilana Keith, Senior Advocacy Officer, Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migration
- Dr Ella Cockbain, Associate Professor in Security & Crime Science, University College London
- Dr Jack Beadsworth, Postdoctoral Researcher, Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford
- Phil Brewer, Specialist Advisor to the Human Trafficking Foundation
- Siân Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
- Nick Kardahji, Senior Policy Researcher,Citizens’ Advice Bureau
- Derbora Muller, Community Outreach Worker, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
We are also engaging the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC), the Metropolitan Police (Met) and other key stakeholders across London.
Together, we want to engage with migrant communities, enhance London’s response to exploitation and proactively alleviate barriers to reporting and engaging with first responders.
This programme is funded by the Greater London Authority.
Get in touch:
Email: [email protected]