Turkish barbers (although many Kurdish immigrants tend to call themselves Turkish to benefit from "brand awareness"), Albanian car washes, Vape shops, Vietnamese nail bars, kebab shops and phone repair shops and the infamous "American Candy Stores".

Many of these can be seen across UK cities and towns. They are not busy; they must be loss making in the current crisis. How can they afford the business rates?

Many do not accept card payments and accept cash only.

There is money laundering, illegal and forced labour (to mention just a few) happening in full view of everyone who shops up and down the United Kingdom's High Streets.

These businesses are not the saviours of the high street but exploiters of the generational ennui that manifests itself in avoidance, denial, minimisation and trivialisation, shutting down any negative thoughts by using faulty reasoning to allow people to feel good about themselves and make sense of a fragile and increasingly threatening world of high inflation, impending hardship and the cost of living crisis.

Does that make a large portion of the population within the UK guilty of turning a blind eye to one or more of the 22 predicate offences under the current Money Laundering Regulations, as set out in the EU's VIth Money Laundering Directive or the much wider "all crimes" approach of the Proceeds of Crimes Act?

Des Helicar-Bowman is a Senior Executive with over twenty years experience at Board level within the payments industry. Well versed in regulatory and risk requirements. Experienced in compliance and MLRO roles, respected and knowledgeable individual within industry, regulatory and card scheme circles.