$8 Million Seized From Criminals to Boost U.K. Policing

Police forces across England and Wales are to receive a £4.4 million cash boost from assets seized from criminals between July and September 2007, Home Office Minister for Crime Reduction Vernon Coaker announced today.

The incentive scheme introduced last year allows the police and recovery agencies to retain half of all cash they seize from criminals.

Criminal assets confiscated by police forces and other asset recovery agencies between July and September 2007 totaled £30 million, £15 million of which is to be shared between police, prosecutors, customs officers and other public agencies.

Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect in 2003, some £360 million has been seized. Between April and June 2007 police in England and Wales received £3.8 million from the incentive scheme.

Mr Coaker said “This is a double-win for policing. Seizing money from criminals takes the profit out of crime and a share of it goes straight back to the police force that confiscated it to be spent on local crime fighting priorities. In just three months the police and other agencies have recovered £30 million from criminals. This is a tremendous achievement and I am grateful to the police and other partners for their hard work in confiscating criminal assets and disrupting criminal gangs.”

Chief Constable Mick Creedon, the Association of Chief Police Officers lead on Asset Recovery, said:

“The Proceeds of Crime Act has provided a significant opportunity for police forces and other law enforcement agencies to take the illegally gained assets from career criminals who have previously benefited from their activities. All forces employ skilled staff who lead this work, and the fact that a proportion of the recovered monies returns directly to the forces continues to support this investment.

I am particularly pleased that the performance of police forces across England and Wales continues to improve. We are taking more cash by way of cash seizure and forfeiture, and also confiscating more criminal assets after conviction. All forces work well with the numerous partner agencies involved in this work and collectively we all want to do more to send out the message that crime doesn’t pay. It is really important and gratifying that there is the tangible support from Ministers who recognise the impact of this activity in reducing crime and making communities feel safer by tackling criminals and their assets”

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