Kevin Hyland has said more needs to be done to stop youngsters being exploited in criminal operations.
Wendy Adams, Stop the Traffik, a Christian charity working to help stop the sale of people, and see the traffickers prosecuted agrees, she told Premier's News Hour why she thinks prevention is better than cure: "The best scenario actually is that we get to the young people and children before the traffickers do, and to actually educate young people and children what exploitation actually is, what grooming is, and what human trafficking is, and what they can do to spot the signs of it and... safeguard themselves and their friends.
"When it comes to young people that are actually already in situations of exploitation... we particularly engage with those front-line workers that may have contact with them.
So that might be youth offending teams, that might be youth workers, it might be probation officers."
"We hear about young children being sent out to do shoplifting, pickpocketing and begging," said Mr Hyland.
"These are young children who should be at school.
"We are in the 21st century and yet we have Oliver Twist scenarios happening in our streets and cities.
"I think we all thought that was gone and in the past but actually it's alive and kicking in London.
The Modern Slavery Act was passed into law earlier this year. It increased the maximum sentence for the worst offenders to life in prison.
Mr Hyland describes the legislation as a "watershed", but stressed a lot still needs to be done.
