High Street Shops: Illicit Activity Debate
Today, I spoke in the High Street Shops: Illicit Activity Westminster Hall Debate about the scourge of illegal activity in shops along our high streets. Watch below:
You can read my full speech here.
Petition Response
We have now received a response to our petition, which you can read below.
I will be continuing to push the Government on this and call for the meaningful change residents of Southgate and Wood Green deserve.
Government Announces New Specialist Unit
This morning, the Home Office have announced a new, specialist unit to target shops on our high streets acting as fronts for illegal activity. This is backed by a £20m investment to create the National Crime Agency team dedicated to cracking down on criminal activity.
Last month, I presented our petition from local residents in Enfield and Haringey calling for more action from the Government to crack down on this issue and support our local community.
While this step forward is welcome, I will continue to call for increased powers for local authorities to tackle this growing issue. on our high streets.
Learn more about the unit here.
Enfield Dispatch Article
Enfield Dispatch have reported on our petition and its presentation to Parliament.
Read the article here: Local MP calls for action over high street shops operating as ‘fronts’ for illegal activity – Enfield Dispatch
Petition: Presented!
The Use of Shops for Illegal Activities petition has now been presented to Parliament!
Many constituents have contacted me concerned that our local authorities have limited powers to tackle illegal activity and that efforts to do so are not always coordinated with local police.
Keep following this page for the next update.
Use of Shops for Illegal Activity
I know that our community in Southgate and Wood Green are concerned about the suspected use of shops for illegal activity on our highstreets.
I have heard from many of my constituents about what this means to them and how it is making them feel. Here are just some of the things I have heard from local residents:
“Longstanding local business owners I’ve spoken with — who have been here 15+ years — express the same concerns: that certain establishments appear to be operating as fronts rather than legitimate enterprises. These include barbers, cafés, nail bars, candy shops, and similar businesses, which are opening in numbers far beyond what seems commercially viable.”
“We are also seeing a constant cycle of shops advertising “Closing Down” banners, only to reappear under new management a few months later, repeating the same tactic.”
“Many residents, especially women, feel unsafe walking… The atmosphere surrounding these cafes is a threatening, unfriendly, unwelcoming one.”
Do you agree? It is time to show that our community is taking a stand.
That is why I have organised a petition calling for:
- a framework for greater communication between trading standards officers and the police
- greater enforcement powers for local authorities to crack down on shops being used for illegal activities
- increased support for the work of trading standards officers and specialist financial investigators
Keep following here for updates!
Call for signatures!
There must be an increased and coordinated effort to crack down on shops being used for illegal activities. Therefore, I am organising a petition for our community to show we are taking a stand.
I am taking signatures now!
Watch more below.