Police to gain from seizures of 'criminally acquired wealth'

Police forces will benefit from a greater share of the criminal assets they recover under a new incentive scheme announced today by the Home Office.

Designed to motivate police to seize, confiscate and recover "criminally acquired wealth", the scheme rewards forces by giving them a stake in the assets clawed back from criminals.

Under the plans, police forces will receive a third of all recovered assets above £40 million next year, increasing to 50% in 2005/06. The scheme applies to all police forces in England and Wales, the National Crime Squad, the British Transport Police and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Currently police and customs officers are seizing around £1 million a week in suspect cash.

Home Office Minister Caroline Flint also announced a halving of the cash seizure threshold from £10,000 to £5,000, allowing police and customs officers to seize suspect cash stashes of not less than £5,000.

Criminals had been avoiding a key element of the Proceeds of Crime Act by carrying cash sums of less than £10,000.

Ms Flint said: "One year on, the tough powers in the are hitting criminals where it hurts - in their pockets. Law enforcement agencies are using the new tools to strip criminals of their assets with great success. Now is the time to spur police on to achieve even greater success by giving them a stake in the assets taken back from criminals."

Authorities have notched up a number of important seizures in recent months, including: £37.6 million confiscated over the last year, and £55 million in suspect cash seized since December 2002; the Assets Recovery Agency has twenty civil recovery cases subject to interim and freezing orders to the value of £12.7 million; and an additional £6.2 million is the subject of restraint orders in the criminal courts.

Boosting the drive to deprive criminals of their illegally acquired wealth, four new multi-agency Regional Asset Recovery Teams have been set up with £12 million of recovered assets a year for the next three years.

Ms Flint added: "The government is determined to make sure that crime does not pay. We are denying criminals the financial benefit of their illegal and harmful activity. Why should they enjoy "champagne" lifestyles paid for with money made at the expense of victims of crime?"

(gmcg)