Police in the United Kingdom are set to receive enhanced authority to close down vape shops, barbers, and nail salons suspected of being fronts for organised crime. The move aims to curb the infiltration of criminal gangs on high streets across the country.
New Powers to Close Businesses for 12 Months
Under new legislation, police and local councils will be able to shut down such establishments for a full year, doubling the current six-month limit. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that this extension will provide investigators with sufficient time to gather evidence and prosecute offenders who use these businesses to launder money or conceal illegal activities.
Home Secretary Announces Nationwide Crackdown
Mahmood declared, "High streets across the country have been hijacked by criminal gangs operating in plain sight – running vape shops, dodgy barbers, and nail salons to launder their dirty money. I have launched a nationwide crackdown to raid and close thousands of illegal businesses, arrest bosses and seize their dirty cash. But I will go further – introducing new laws to close these shops for good and put criminal bosses behind bars."
Review of Skilled-Worker Sponsorship List
Officials are also examining whether vape shops, barbers, and car washes should remain on the skilled-worker sponsorship list, to prevent criminals from obtaining visas. Additionally, police and Trading Standards will receive £30 million to fund a crackdown, with thousands of businesses expected to be raided.
Impact on Legitimate Businesses
The Hair and Barber Council reported that legitimate barbers are being driven out of business due to the proliferation of money-laundering operations posing as men's hairdressers. Customers are also receiving poor service from these illicit outlets. Industry leaders have appealed for help, stating they cannot compete with the cut-price trims offered by criminal businesses.
Warnings from National Crime Agency
The National Crime Agency has warned that there are "likely to be thousands of shops" involved in crimes such as money laundering, selling illegal goods, and immigration offences. A parliamentary inquiry by the Commons Business and Trade Committee earlier this year highlighted that these enterprises are used for money laundering derived from people smuggling, drugs, prostitution, and other illegal activities.
Call for More Financial Investigators
The committee urged the government to recognize the rising presence of organised crime groups on UK high streets and commit to funding more financial investigators in local Trading Standards services and police forces. Josh Nicholson, Head of Housing and Communities at the Centre for Social Justice, commented, "For too long, organised criminal gangs have hijacked shop-fronts on our high streets and got away with it. These gangs sell illegal tobacco, traffic drugs, and facilitate immigration crime from the heart of our communities, undermining the foundations of safe community life."
