Criminal assets worth £84m have been recovered during the last year, Home Office Minister Paul Goggins has announced.
This figure for the year 2004-2005, compared with £54.5m recovered the previous year, is the result of new powers introduced by the Government in the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.
Police forces are for the first time to receive a £13m share of the recovered money.
What they say
Paul Goggins, Home Office Minister for Financial Crime, said: "This achievement sends a clear message to criminals: crime does not pay and profiting from crime will not be tolerated. Recovering criminal assets is a vital part of the Government’s strategy to cut crime and make the criminal justice system more effective.
"As part of our commitment, the Government introduced the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2002 and this has given prosecutors and law enforcement agencies additional powers to investigate and recover criminal assets, with great success.
"We have introduced a number of new initiatives, which will reward police and front-line agencies for their work in seizing assets, and have provided additional funding for the police and other agencies to build capacity. All this has contributed to some great achievements in asset recovery."
Under the terms of an incentive scheme, announced last year, individual police forces are to receive one third of the receipts recovered above £40m during last year (2004-2005). This is due to increase to half of all receipts recovered above £40m next year (2005-2006). A new scheme will be extended to the other agencies involved in asset recovery the following year (2006-2007).
Among the highest performing forces receiving the greatest amount of additional funding are the Metropolitan Police who will receive over £4m, the National Crime Squad, who benefit from just over £1.8m, Lancashire Constabulary, who are awarded an extra £570, 517 and Greater Manchester Police, who get £526,360.
Paul Goggins said: "The police and their criminal justice partners are to be congratulated on this excellent achievement. The scheme provides a powerful incentive for all police forces. It encourages forces to make maximum use of the powers available to them to recover criminal assets – the more they recover, the more they will get back under the incentive scheme."
Assistant Chief Constable Roger Aldridge, the Association of Chief Police Officers lead on Asset Recovery, said: "We welcome the results of the new incentive scheme. This will enable police forces to plough back some of the recovered criminal assets into more financial investigation capability, and thereby continue to improve performance next year. Asset recovery has to become part of our mainstream activity. It is an effective method of reducing crime by dismantling criminal empires, both small and large. This is a ‘win-win’ for law enforcement and the communities they serve."We welcome the results of the new incentive scheme. This will enable police forces to plough back some of the recovered criminal assets into more financial investigation capability, and thereby continue to improve performance next year. Asset recovery has to become part of our mainstream activity. It is an effective method of reducing crime by dismantling criminal empires, both small and large. This is a ‘win win’ for law enforcement and the communities they serve."
