Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of barber shops that are linked to money laundering.

According to a report by the Local Data Company and Green Street, the average number of barber shops per 10,000 people has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 1.4 per 10,000 people in 2013, to 3.1 per 10,000 in 2023. The Government recognises that cash intensive businesses such as barber shops can be exploited by criminals who seek to legitimise their criminal cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities.

That is why addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre which sits within the National Crime Agency, and who are currently working with partners to facilitate an increased operational response to this threat.

In parallel, the National Police Chiefs’ Council economic crime co-ordinators are engaged in the development of Clear Hold Build strategies to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime. Clear Hold Build aims to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by organised crime and increase public confidence in the police and partner agencies. This includes tackling financial crime on the high street.