Rachael Herbert – Exposing the UK high street’s money laundering problem
Money laundering is not just a problem for financial centres - it is increasingly visible on local high streets across the UK. In this episode of Joining the Dots, Rachael Herbert, Director of the National Economic Crime Centre, explains how illicit finance, organised crime and hidden harms such as modern slavery are intersecting in everyday environments. Through the lens of Operation Machinize, Rachael outlines how law enforcement, regulators and the private sector are working together to disrupt criminal activity, seize illicit assets and generate actionable intelligence. She also reflects on the policy and legislative tools that support this work, the value of trusted public–private partnerships, and the need for intelligence-led, threat-based approaches rather than box-ticking compliance.