The Metropolitan Police has been accused of failing in its legal duty to victims of human trafficking at the hands of the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, after at least five survivors were formally confirmed by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery.

The five have each received positive conclusive grounds decisions through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), the UK's official framework for identifying victims of modern slavery, forced labour and servitude. None was referred by the force. All were referred instead by the anti-slavery charity Unseen after initiating the process themselves.

Statutory first responders — including the police, Border Force, the National Crime Agency and local authorities — must refer to the NRM any child, or any consenting adult, they have reasonable grounds to believe may be a victim. Where an adult does not consent, they must notify the Home Office anonymously. Charities such as Unseen, the Salvation Army and Barnardo's may also make referrals, but are not bound by the same statutory duty.

Four survivors, all now confirmed as victims of modern slavery, told the Press Association the Met failed to offer them a referral when they came forward. They believe no referral was offered to anyone who reported Al Fayed until April 2026.

It is understood the Met's position is that there is no automatic requirement to submit a referral for offences that occurred before the NRM began operating in April 2009 and before the Modern Slavery Act 2015, although referrals can still be made. The Home Office regards the historical nature of alleged exploitation as irrelevant for notification and referral purposes. The duty falls away only where offences were reported to police before those dates.

Margo, a pseudonym, worked as a domestic worker for the Al Fayed family after the 2010 sale of Harrods and reported to police in 2024 without being offered a referral. She said the Met contacted her seeking consent to refer her on the same day it was reported that another survivor, Rachel Louw, had been recognised as a victim. She was already being referred through Unseen, and received her decision in July. The force had been "reactive as opposed to proactive" throughout, she said.

Isabella, also a pseudonym, was trafficked while working in the chairman's office at Harrods in 2001. She said she has still not been offered a referral, despite being told by officers in 2025 that her circumstances met the definition of trafficking.

 

"Survivors had to force the state to recognise trafficking in a case the Met now says had trafficking always at its heart. Referring suspected victims to the NRM is a statutory duty, it's not optional."

Elizabeth, a former Harrods employee who reported when Operation Cornpoppy launched, said there had been "some miscommunication" from the force that the duty does not apply to historical cases. "That's not true — it's very clear in the law," she said. Justine, who worked at the store for more than three years in the 1990s, reported in 2018 and was not offered a referral.

Phil Brewer, formerly head of the Met's anti-trafficking unit, said he had never seen guidance supporting the force's position, adding that the legal test concerns act, means and purpose of exploitation, with "no caveat" about when legislation came into force.

Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner Eleanor Lyons said statutory first responders "should refer these victims" to the NRM.

More than 400 allegations against Al Fayed, spanning 1977 to 2014, have been made. The Met is investigating at least 156 victims who contacted it directly, and seven people have been questioned under caution under Operation Cornpoppy, launched in November 2024. Al Fayed died in 2023, aged 94, never having been charged.

Gold commander Andy Day told survivors on 11 August that work on potential referrals "continues". The Met has been contacted for comment.