Government to target criminals’ cash

Criminals found with money or assets of £1,000 or more could face having them seized, under new government proposals announced today.

Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced the proposals, which would see the cash seizure threshold under the Proceeds of Crime Act, lowered from £5,000 to £1,000, in order to target small-time offenders, such as local drug dealers, as well as major criminals.

The proposals are part of the government’s Respect agenda, which aims to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

Cash search and seizure powers, which allow police and customs officers to seize cash suspected to be the profit of crime or intended for use in crime, came into force almost three years ago.

Around £1 million per week is currently being seized each week and a total of £126 million has been seized since the legislation was introduced.

Commenting on the proposals, Mr Clarke said: “Much of the money we are confiscating from the criminals is being used to fund the fight against crime and to help support victims and crime reduction projects across the country.

“This forms a key part of our Respect agenda and our sustained effort to ensure criminals can no longer ride roughshod over the law and the values of the decent law-abiding majority by openly flouting their ill-gotten gains.”

The proposals were announced as new research showed that concerns about anti-social behaviour are falling. The figures showed a fall in the number of people in the government’s 60 Trailblazer and Action Areas who perceived high levels of anti-social behaviour, from 25% to 19% over the last two years.

The government also said that there had been a “sharp increase” in the take-up of powers to tackle anti-social behaviour. Between October 2003 and September 2005, the number of acceptable behaviour contracts signed by perpetrators increased by 80% to 6,456; the number of housing injunctions rose by 52% to 1,931 and the number of parenting contracts increased by 218% to 966.

The research also showed that recorded incidents of criminal damage related to anti-social behaviour fell by 4% in the last year.

The Home Secretary said: “We are starting to see positive signs that our determined national drive to tackle anti-social behaviour over the last two years is working.

“These are early results and we are by no means complacent – people still experience too much anti-social behaviour in many parts of the country. They are nonetheless encouraging and show that our strategy is making a real difference to people’s lives.”

Mr Clarke said that further plans would be announced in the New Year.

(KMcA/SP)