LONDON: Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) appealed to the public to tackle modern-day slavery, as it launched a touring photo exhibition aimed at encouraging more reporting of suspicious activity.

The series of images, displayed outside The Oval cricket ground in London, feature scenes of slavery, ranging from the food processing industry to sexual exploitation, informing visitors about how to spot victims.

“We’re making real inroads into tackling the threat from modern slavery and human trafficking, but we need public support to really drive that development home,” said Steve Wilday, head of the NCA’s modern slavery and human trafficking unit.

The exhibition will be hosted in locations around the country which have received a high number of calls to a government-funded helpline for modern slavery victims.

“What I wanted to show is for people to emotionally respond to the images, obviously, and become aware of different tell-tale signs,” said Rory Carnegie, the photographer behind the staged images.

Carnegie reconstructed scenes of slavery with the help of people who had survived exploitation.

A report last year found that 3,805 people were referred to the NCA as potential slavery victims in Britain during 2016.

“The victims can be of any age and of any nationality,” said Alison Towns, a manager within the agency’s national referral mechanism.

Those who enter the NCA referral programme and are then identified as victims are offered help by the authorities for at least 45 days, during which they cannot be removed from the UK.

Police forces can make use of legislation crafted specifically to tackle modern slavery and trafficking.

This week three people were jailed for trafficking Vietnamese women and girls to work in UK nail bars for no pay. Last year there were 181 convictions for trafficking crimes.