Cardinal Vincent Nichols has praised Kevin Hyland for his dedication and efforts to counter human trafficking following his resignation as the UK’s first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner.
Mr Hyland, who was appointed to the new role in 2014 by Theresa May as home secretary, will step down when his contract ends this year.
“I am full of admiration for his pioneering work as Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and before that for his outstanding leadership as head of the trafficking unit for the Metropolitan Police,” the Cardinal said in a statement on 18 May.
"He has been dedicated to the fight against human trafficking for a number of years and during his time in office public awareness has grown about the extent of this terrible crime and the need to combat it on a number of different levels.”
Mr Hyland, in his role as senior adviser to the anti-trafficking body, the Santa Marta group, of which the cardinal is president, has been “central to a number of different initiatives and efforts” to tackle trafficking, Cardinal Nichols added.
The cardinal said that, as Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, “Kevin has always argued for greater resources that have often been promised”.
He continued: “He has also argued for a more co-ordinated approach to combatting this terrible crime. I sincerely hope that his considerable experience and expertise in this field will not be lost”.
Cardinal Nichols concluded saying he hoped the government would “speedily” reappoint the Independent Commissioner role along with increasing its “support the commission’s work”.
Mr Hyland’s resignation comes weeks after a parliamentary committee found that modern slavery was not fully understood by the government, suggesting ministers were unsure if the government’s crackdown was working.
In his resignation letter to Theresa May, the outgoing commissioner praised the Prime Minister for her personal leadership “in securing ground-breaking legislation in the Modern Slavery Act 2015” and for creating the Independent Commissioner role, but added that independence was vital for its success.
“At times independence has felt somewhat discretionary from the Home Office, rather than legally bestowed,” Mr Hyland wrote.
“I hope that any future incumbent can be assured the independence I am sure you intended as the author of the legislation.”
In her reply, the prime minister praised Mr Hyland for “shining a spotlight on the scale and nature of modern slavery and internationally”.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, also praised Mr Hyland, saying he left a "great legacy".
"I want to pay tribute to the outstanding leadership he has shown in this role. Government, business, law enforcement, churches and other voluntary groups have been challenged and inspired to work together to make the UK a world leader in the urgent fight against modern slavery. He leaves a great legacy," he said.
In Britain, at least 13,000 people are estimated to be victims of modern-day slavery, but police say the real figure is likely to be much higher.
Mr Hyland is to be chief executive of ChildFund Ireland.
No dates have yet been released for the government to appoint a replacement to the role.
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