With the government putting pressure on the GLA to increase the removal of forced labour victims from UK agriculture by 15 per cent year on year, it is set to be a busy time for the organisation. That is something GLA chief executive and ex-counter terrorism officer Paul Broadbent knows only too well.
In the last week news hit of Kent-based fresh produce labour provider Superior Service having its licence revoked by the GLA after workers were found to be placed in poor accommodation and paid less than minimum wage, and Broadbent has pledged to stamp “human slavery” out of the fresh produce supply chain.
When meeting Broadbent, who had just unveiled the GLA’s strategy for the next three years, at DEFRA’s Whitehall HQ, he appears relaxed and confident about the long road ahead.
How have your experiences as an officer in the police force over three decades impacted on the way you lead the GLA?
In 2003 I was in charge of the first human trafficking case within the UK and I was a constable on the drug squad in my younger days.
I have 30 years in policing and most recently I spent just short of three years down in Nottinghamshire as an assistant chief constable. At the point when I joined in 2010 it was the worst-performing force in the country but I saw that as a real exciting challenge and together with my colleagues we achieved the lowest crime rate in the region in over 35 years. The lessons we learnt on how to improve efficiency are want I want to install at the GLA.
As of late, there is a great focus on UK supermarkets with the horsemeat scandal calling into question the legitimacy of their supply chains. How closely do you work with the major UK retailers?
I’d say our relationship with the big supermarkets is good as we have a strong relationship with their ethical trading arms. However, I think more could be done.
What I am trying to do is open up more secure lines of information exchange so the GLA and major retailers can more readily exchange information.
As part of the GLA’s strategy for 2013-2016 you have announced that funding will drop to £3.9 million in 2014-15 (it stood at £4.7m in 2010-11). Will it now be a case of doing more with less?
It is absolutely about doing more with less and looking at where we can get best get value for money by doing stuff in partnership. In the past, what might have happened was the GLA would go out and do an inspection and a week later health and safety would visit the same firm. I think by sharing information more readily we conduct one joint investigation so, for example, a food packing company gets visited once rather than three times. We must now ensure that every penny we spend is on addressing vulnerable and exploited workers. If it isn’t spent doing that, it isn’t worth spending.
How big of an issue is forced labour within agriculture and the fresh produce industry?
I think collectively as a society we still don’t know how big it is, we are only scratching the surface. We are finding more and more victims of exploitation, more so than ever before. The Association of Labour Providers says that human trafficking through forced labour has gone up 100 per cent in two years; that is a worrying trend. People are fast becoming a new commodity for organised crime gangs to exploit, arguably in the same way drugs and guns are.
The fresh produce industry is keen to share information, but I am keen to stress that if anyone believes there is a problem within their supply chain relating to people being exploited, let us know. Confidentiality is key to what we are doing and by sharing information you won’t affect any contracts
with retailers. In the past the GLA would develop intelligence and take too long to decide what to do with it before taking action, and so workers would continue to be abused. That will change.
With the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme slated for closure at the end of the year, will crime increase as farmers becomedesperate for help on farms?
I hope not, but it potentially could. If it does we have to work with farmers and get in there at an early stage, when we first think there might be a problem brewing, and resolve it before it becomes a bigger issue. What is key now is that we better our relationship with the likes of the HMRC and UK border agency. People are rightly worried about contravention and data protection, but if sharing information protects crime, nobody needs to be worried about it. I want the GLA to do its part to create a level playing field for the fresh produce industry. I know there are people out there willing to cut corners to secure that next contract so what the GLA needs to do is create an environment where the legitimate businesses can flourish, and the unjust ones feels the full weight of the GLA.
How will the GLA increase the removal of forced labour victims from UK agriculture by 15 per cent year on year?
You could argue that an increase in the number of identified forced labour victims would be positive. It would mean there is an additional confidence in the system for people to come forward. While we could see a temporary peak in people coming forward, that can then be steadied. It is key we are seen as a presence on the front line. I am not naïve enough to think if we visit a packhouse, that people will come and meet us. Victims are under pressure from managers and co-workers and feel as though if they go to authorities they will be threatened, have their passports seized so we must now spread our brand and show people we are the friendly face of addressing exploitation. We have 80 ongoing criminal investigations every year and 34 officers and inspectors out there in the field. There is no denying that there is a small but significant number of organised crime groups in this sector. Through the process of collaboration and better communication it is my aim to eradicate them.
