Criminal gangs selling illicit cigarettes in shops across the UK are "accelerating" the decline of Britain's high streets, the Co-op has warned Andy Burnham. The retail group stated that the black market trade in tobacco is undermining the Prime Minister's efforts to rejuvenate UK high streets, while also eroding public safety and weakening community cohesion.
The Co-op has published a white paper urging the government to invest more money into police raids targeting crime networks involved in selling illicit cigarettes and other goods on high streets. Paul Gerrard, the Co-op's director of campaigns, stated that "shadow and illicit economics are shaping the face of high streets up and down the UK, creating an unsafe environment, impacting legitimate business, [and] preventing £1.4bn [from] reaching the public purse."
According to a YouGov survey commissioned by the Co-op, over one-third of British smokers (36%) have bought illicit cigarettes, with 62% of these individuals turning to the underground market due to cheaper prices. The retail group claims illicit cigarettes are available in corner shops and vape shops for as little as £5 per pack, and estimates more than 10 billion illicit cigarettes were smoked across the UK last year.
Freedom of information data obtained by the Co-op from the government indicates that councils visit an average of four shops per month to investigate illegal cigarette sales. The data also shows that the average English council confiscates illegal tobacco from just one shop every two weeks.
Professor Emmeline Taylor, a criminologist who authored the Co-op's white paper, stated that her research found high street crime "distorts local economies, undermines legitimate commerce, erodes public confidence and weakens the opportunities for successful regeneration." The white paper suggests that "crime and anti-social behaviour represent one of the greatest barriers" to Andy Burnham's pledge to revitalise British high streets.
The Co-op's white paper recommends that the government accelerate the closure of "rogue" high street businesses, grant police access to HMRC's tracking data on cigarette trade, and increase police visibility in town centres. Paul Gerrard commented that a £30m government enforcement operation launched earlier this year to tackle illegal tobacco sales "won't even touch the sides of the problem."