Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether local authority areas that are actively undertaking enforcement activity against organised criminality, illicit tobacco and vaping sales, and rogue high street businesses, but which are not currently designated as priority areas by the Home Office or National Crime Agency, will be eligible to access support from the High Street Crime Unit in the future; and what criteria will be used to determine eligibility for such support.

Through Operation Machinize, which is led by the National Crime Agency in conjunction with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, funding is available to all local authorities and law enforcement agencies to support operational activity against money laundering and associated serious and organised criminality on the High Street. Funding decisions are an operational matter for the NCA.

Since March 2025 Operation Machinize, has led to over 3,000 high street premises suspected of criminality having been visited and nearly 1,000 individuals arrested.

Separately, the High Street Organised Crime Unit, based in the Home Office, has been established to develop a long-term strategic response to tackle money laundering and associated criminality on the High Street. The unit is responsible for identifying what more is needed – from stronger powers to better coordination – to stop this criminal activity from happening in the first place.