Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says new laws will be put forward by the end of the year as she vowed police and councils will have greater powers to tackle dodgy high street businesses
Shabana Mahmood has promised new laws to shut down shady vape shops by the end of the year.
The Home Secretary said police and councils will have stronger powers to put down rogue businesses and put bosses in jail. It comes as research shows around £1billion is laundered through high street businesses each year.
Ms Mahmood said a loophole that lets shops reopen and continue trading illegally will be closed. She pledged: “High streets across the country have been hijacked by criminal gangs operating in plain sight – running vape stories, 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.”
Earlier this week Andy Burnham – who is seeking to return to Parliament in the Makerfield by-election – called for councils to have greater powers to block new vape shops.
He said it would give town halls more control over their high streets. The Home Office has said that although premises can be closed for up to six months, businesses can still reopen before investigations have concluded. The Home Office said this allows criminal activity to resume – creating more burdens for councils, police and courts.
The new laws will double the duration of closure orders to give investigators more time to prosecute criminal bosses. Ms Mahmood has also told officials to urgently review the presence of vape shops, barbers, and car washes on the skilled worker sponsorship list – meaning they can bring workers from overseas.
It follows the launch of a crackdown on organised crime on high streets in England and Wales., with £30million of funding. The National Crime Agency (NCA) estimates £1billion is laundered through high street businesses each year.
The Home Office said criminals using shops as a front for money laundering or drug supply often go to great lengths to conceal their identities – meaning investigations are complex.
Tackling this will help protect honest businesses, the government said. Josh Nicholson, head of housing and communities at the Centre for Social Justice, said: “For too long, organised criminal gangs have hijacked shopfronts 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.
“Enforcement agencies tell us that they need stronger and faster powers to shut down these criminal shops for good. We welcome the Home Secretary’s commitment to strengthening closure orders which will give law enforcement the tools they need to crack down on the organised criminals who operate across Britain’s high streets.”
New legislation is expected to be put forward by the end of the year following a consultation.