AFTER witnessing first-hand closure raids in the town, Warrington North MP Charlotte Nichols is backing a crackdown on dodgy high street shops.
Charlotte joined Cheshire Police and Trading Standards recently for a crackdown on high street shops in Warrington and followed this up with a visit to the National Crime Agency based in Warrington to learn about a regional strategy -Operation Machinize.
As promised, more raids are now taking place to shut down rogue barber shops, vape stores, mini-marts, and sweet shops. But more needs to be done to clean up our high streets.
During the raids, Ms Nichols saw first-hand how the police shut down these shops, showing her where they are hiding counterfeit, dangerous goods and uncovering an array of other crimes such as money laundering, drugs and trafficking.
Rather than having a whack-a-mole strategy where shops keep popping up again after only a few months, closure orders will soon be able to last up to a year – allowing the authorities time to investigate and put owners behind bars.
Following this, Miss Nichols and fellow MP Jo Platt were invited to a briefing by the National Crime Agency this week to learn about the regional strategy – Operation Machinize. Crime does not care about borders between police forces, as owners of these shops can live miles away. This operation helps forces work together to catch these owners. In addition, Operation Machinize brings together different agencies such as Trading Standards, HMRC and Immigration Enforcement who can deal with different issues which arise during a raid.
Ms Nichols says: “Following a recent visit joining Cheshire Police, Trading Standards, and other partners on an enforcement day of dodgy shops in Warrington to see this work first-hand, it was good to join Leigh’s MP Jo Platt at the National Crime Agency at their offices in Woolston Grange to meet with the NW Regional Organised Crime Unit.
“This is a national priority, as part of Operation Machinize, as criminal exploitation of cash-intensive businesses (for money laundering, tax evasion, human trafficking and sale of illegal goods) doesn’t recognise constituency, county or policing boundaries. So while our local multi-agency enforcement has been recognised as strong, it was helpful to hear about what Greater Manchester Police are doing next door, and how the NW ROCU is supporting this work and following the money upstream to deal with the issue at source.
“As we work in Parliament to ensure the legislation gives law enforcement the tools they need to deal with the problem, and our local multi-agency approach is disrupting these businesses with seizures and closures all the while, all of us have a part to play in cleaning up our high streets. If you are purchasing illicit tobacco or vapes, getting your car washed, your nails done or your hair cut at somewhere you suspect is dodgy, you’re doing the criminal’s work for them.”
Jo Platt, MP for Leigh and Atherton, added:“Following the launch of my Shut Down Dodgy Shops campaign last year, it was great to meet relevant partners at the National Crime Agency and hear about the coordinated action being taken across our region to tackle organised crime taking root on our high streets.
“These premises are far from victimless. They undermine legitimate local traders, distort fair competition, facilitate serious and organised crime, and contribute to the decline of our town centres. For too long, criminal networks have exploited weaknesses in the system, using seemingly ordinary businesses as fronts for wider illicit activity.
“While I am encouraged to see progress being made following the campaign, much more work remains to be done. We must ensure that law enforcement agencies have the powers and resources they need to crack down on rogue operators and restore confidence in our high streets as safe, thriving centres of local commerce and community life.”
The Government is currently seeking views on 12 months closure orders. You can respond to the consultation here:
gov.uk/government/consultations/premises-closure-orders
In addition to 12 month closure orders, the Government has also established a new £30 million enforcement unit, with 75 new officers, to ensure organised crime gangs will be hit with raids, shop closures and cash seizures.
