Referral into the NRM
When trafficking is suspected, police are required to refer victims into the NRM or notify the Home Office. The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK system used to identify, support, and protect people who may be victims of modern slavery or human trafficking.
What you need to know
[Updated 4 October 2026] Suspected trafficking survivors must be referred into the NRM (National Referral Mechanism) irrespective of when the trafficking occurred, or whether it occurred within the UK or crossed borders. This can only be done with survivors' consent, and is initiated by a designated first responder organization – including the police and certain NGOs. Police are required by law to refer victims to the NRM or, if you do not consent to a referral, to notify the Home Office that a suspected trafficking case has been identified. You can find the Government's official webpage on the NRM here.
In April 2026, Operation Cornpoppy, the Met's ongoing investigation into enablers of Mohamed Al Fayed's offending, announced that it had begun to refer Fayed victims into the NRM. Up to 70 cases involving movement within the UK and across borders were identified for referral in the subsequent months. In September 2026, Cornpoppy announced that it would also refer cases involving movement within the Harrods Knightsbridge building.
NOA is not qualified to offer assessments or advice on individual cases. However, we have partnered with the charity Unseen UK, which has been empowering and supporting survivors of trafficking since 2008, and Fayed survivors since 2025. Unseen (South West UK) and their partner NGOs Medaille Trust (Manchester, Halton, Hampshire, London, Swindon; Kent), BAWSO (Wales), and Migrant Help (Scotland) remain willing to support survivors of exploitation at Fayed-controlled enterprises – including any cases where police-initiated Fayed referrals are denied by the Home Office.
Referrals for survivors living overseas
Unfortunately, the Home Office has recently confirmed that survivors resident overseas may not refer to the NRM. Unseen, NOA, and survivors have repeatedly sought to clarify official advice and received conflicting responses. NOA echoes the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner's call to reconsider the requirement. Fayed victims included many young people from countries other than the UK, and many survivors have settled outside the UK following the trauma of their exploitation. It is wrong that the crime committed against them should not be formally recognised by the British government.
Please scroll down for information about how to refer.
What's the NRM for?
The National Referral Mechanism (NRM) is the UK system used to identify, support, and protect people who may be victims of modern slavery or human trafficking.
Its purpose is to make sure potential victims are recognised by authorities, given access to safe accommodation, healthcare, legal advice, and other support. Unless victims of trafficking are identified and referred into the NRM, the Government cannot recognise that trafficking has occurred – or take action to investigate or prevent it.
In order for the Home Office to make a decision about your trafficking status, you will need to share information about your exploitation with them via the first responder handling your referral.
NRM referrals via the police
Operation Cornpoppy has commenced referring all suspected Fayed trafficking cases to the NRM irrespective of when or where the exploitation took place.
Because police have special legal responsibilities to identify trafficking, even if you do not consent to be referred to the NRM, the police are legally required to notify the Home Office about your case. This is called the Duty to Notify (DtN). However the information they share with the Home Office, unlike an NRM referral, will not identify you. The police were not fulfilling this duty until recently.
NRM referrals via other first responders
If for any reason you do not want the police to act as your first responder, you can utilise NGO first responders local to you. Police referrals have historically obtained lower rates of positive decisions. We do not know if negative decisions on the basis of the quality of police referrals have affected any Fayed/Harrods cases.
Please contact the organisation local to you from the list below.
-
BAWSO (Wales)
-
Migrant Help (Scotland)
-
Unseen (South West)
-
Medaille Trust (Manchester, Halton, Hampshire, London, Swindon, Kent)
For support outside of these areas, Unseen UK may be able to provide support subject to a wait list.
If you have not reported to the police, the Home Office may share your information with them if you refer to the NRM. If you do not wish this to happen it is important to make this clear to the first responder handling your referral. If you had already reported to the police when you refer via an NGO first responder, your police files may be accessed by the Home Office.
About the process
The information you share will include information identifying you and the circumstances of your trafficking. This information is protected and cannot be accessed by parties outside the government. You can find out more here. Unfortunately, NRM referrals are currently only available to UK residents. NOA echoes official objections to this policy, which was clarified recently.
To get help to decide if this step is right for you, here’s what you need to do:
-
Review information on the NRM and first responding process. You can view the NRM prompt sheet here – this tells you what kinds of questions to expect.
-
Contact a First Responder local to you, this will be the faster route into the NRM. The police including Operation Cornpoppy and all local authorities can act as first responders.
Negative NRM decision? Here's what to do
If you're denied, know that 7 in 10 trafficking refusals are overturned on reconsideration. The most common reason is "insufficient information". Police NRM referrals have historically obtained lower rates of approvals than those made by specialist organisations like Unseen. Here's what to do:
-
Act within 30 days
-
Get a copy of your NRM referral
-
Contact an NGO first responder listed on this page, or the Salvation Army, to lodge a request for reconsideration
-
If 30 days have passed, speak to a lawyer, urgently
If you were not able to make a referral because you live outside the UK, you did not receive a negative decsion – your case wasn't referred at all. NOA is writing to the Home Office to add our voice to calls to allow victims to refer irrespective of where they live now. You may wish to do the same.
Inconsistencies in Met advice about NRM referrals
You're not imagining it. Some statements from Operation Cornpoppy have made survivors feel unsure about their rights and police duties when it comes to NRM referrals. These include:
-
Police advice suggesting that NRM referrals are optional for cases that predate trafficking legislation;
-
Police action suggesting that NRM referrals are only applicable to some Fayed-linked cases;
-
Inconsistent advice about whether survivors can refer to the NRM from abroad.
Police duties to refer are clear in law
Police are required by law to identify victims of trafficking regardless of when the trafficking occurred. This is clear both in the law and in statements from the Government. You can read the details here.
What NOA has done about inconsistent advice
NOA is actively working with anti-trafficking experts, charities, and government entities to clarify the advice survivors have received. Some of our previous actions include:
-
In October 2025, NOA submitted evidence to the Home Office on the failure to identify victims of modern slavery in the Fayed case.
-
In December 2025, NOA wrote to the Government raising concerns about the failure to refer Fayed victims to the NRM.
-
In May 2026, NOA wrote to the Metropolitan Police requesting an explanation of the criteria used to refer Fayed cases to the NRM, and for clarification of the inconsistencies in the advice the force provided to survivors. NOA has not received a response to this request.
-
In June 2026, NOA members joined other survivors in submitting questions to the Prime Minister about the failure to recognise trafficking in the Fayed case or refer victims to the NRM.
-
Questions about NRM referrals were also conveyed to the APPG during the June 2026 consultation period ahead of the APPG Members' meeting with the Metropolitan Police in July 2026.
-
NOA raised concerns about Met NRM referrals directly with MOPAC and the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner during September 2026.
Invitation to Fayed and Harrods survivors
We invite survivors to submit their questions about the NRM process. Questions can be submitted anonymously. NOA will strive to obtain answers from experts in conjunction with our ongoing advocacy work. Answers will be published online and/or shared with the APPG. We can't guarantee when questions will be answered. Please do not submit confidential or identifying information – any such information will be deleted on receipt for your protection.
Further reading
College of Policing
College of Policing guidance for identifying potential victims of Modern Slavery. This guidance combines trafficking and human smuggling indicators – which has been raised as a concern by the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner
LEAP Self Identification Tool
The Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) have created a Self Identification Tool (SIT) designed by survivors to help communication between First Responders (e.g. police, local authorities and certain NGOs) and survivors.
Modern Slavery Act – Statutory Guidance
Government Guidance on common indicators that may be present in a situation of modern slavery. Note that modern slavery includes trafficking for sexual exploitation and other forms of exploitation – e.g. forced labour.