Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that suspected fraudulent activity in retail business premises can be investigated and tackled by the police.

In March this year, the National Crime Agency coordinated a three-week crackdown (Operation MACHINIZE) against business premises such as barber shops and other cash intensive businesses across England and Wales. Operation MACHINIZE involved 19 different police forces and Regional Organised Crime Units, as well as national agencies including HM Revenue & Customs, Trading Standards and Home Office Immigration Enforcement. In total, 380 premises were visited across the three-week operation with officers securing freezing orders over bank accounts totalling in excess of one million pounds, executing 84 warrants and arresting 35 individuals.

This has been followed by a second phase of activity throughout October which involved every UK police force and Regional Organised Crime Unit. During the operation, which targeted a broader range of businesses, the operation saw: 2,734 premises visited and raided; 924 individuals arrested; over £13m of suspected criminal proceeds seized or restrained; and over £2.7m worth of illicit commodities destroyed.

At the Budget 2025, the Chancellor announced a new dedicated cross-government taskforce to design systemic interventions to disrupt money laundering and related criminality on the high street, as well as new funding for operational partners such as law enforcement and Trading Standards to tackle this threat.