New high street police squad to tackle dodgy vape shops and candy stores in £20 million crackdown

The £20 million-backed National Crime Agency cell is tasked with co-ordinating a national response, and a unit overseen by security minister Dan Jarvis will be responsible for coming up with solutions.

The Home Office said 75 new police officers will be recruited across the country who will be dedicated to tackling high street gangs.

As many as half of convenience stores and vape retailers in some areas are estimated to have links with organised crime, according to Trading Standards.

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Similarly, up to a third of American candy stores and one in four fast-food takeaways in specific areas are suspected of being a front for criminal activity.

It comes as a BBC investigation revealed people smugglers are directing migrants to pay for illegal Channel crossings using a network of UK-registered businesses including high street shops.

The budgets of Local Authority Trading Standards’ services have been cut by up to 50% over the last decade, and staffing stripped.

Trading Standards has warned that this, coupled with reduced resources for other key enforcement agencies including police, had coincided with the rapid spread of dodgy shops across the UK.

Trading standards will be backed with £6 million of additional funding under the Home Office plans, with new officer training rolled out to identify suspicious businesses.

£1.5 million will also go to Immigration Enforcement, and £1.35 million to HMRC.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “Criminal gangs have exploited our high streets to launder their dirty money and undercut honest businesses.

“We are hitting back with a nationwide crackdown to shut these fronts down, seize dirty cash and drive organised crime off our high streets and put bosses behind bars.”

The Home Office said thousands of businesses are expected to be raided, hundreds of arrests made and millions in cash seized as a result of the funding.

The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) welcomed the introduction of the new unit, but urged the Government to help keep its officers safe.

Chief executive John Herriman told the Press Association: “CTSI welcomes the introduction of the High Street Organised Crime Unit.

“The proliferation of so-called dodgy shops puts consumers at significant risk and undermines the legitimate businesses who drive economic growth across the UK.

“CTSI’s recent report on organised criminality on UK high streets highlighted some of the many challenges Trading Standards face and set out a series of recommendations to empower enforcement agencies to clamp down on the issue.

“There is an urgent need for the Home Office to rapidly review enforcement powers, resources and measures to protect Trading Standards officers, so agencies can more effectively disrupt organised criminality.”

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “Labour have done more damage to our high streets than 75 officers can fix. Under Labour, there are 1,300 fewer police officers, a huge spike in business rates, anti-business legislation, jobs tax, the list goes on.

“Crime and anti-social behaviour are at unacceptably high levels, every day, too many people witness things that anger and alarm them.

“The Conservatives have a plan to take back our streets that would put 10,000 extra police officers on the streets, backed by £800 million, in order to triple stop and search, roll out live facial recognition to the worst crime hotspots, restoring the damage Labour have done in just under two years.”