Crooks’ hoards now a GMP bonus

Date article online: 14/04/2008

Greater Manchester Police has been promised more than £143,000 in additional funding as a reward for sending out the warning to criminals that crime will not pay.

Under the asset recovery incentive scheme the Home Office pays back half of all assets recovered from criminals to frontline agencies, including the police.

The Home Office has announced that £5.2 million will be shared out among UK forces based on how much money they claimed back in assets from criminals during October to December.

GMP will be given £143,926 for frontline policing and asset recovery, and other agencies including prosecutors and courts also get money.

The 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act and the Asset Recovery Incentive Scheme has allowed police to apply for confiscation orders to strip criminals of their profits.

They are targeting drug-dealers, organised car thieves, brothel-keepers, money-launderers and benefit fraudsters.

According to the latest figures, which detail confiscations from January to December, 2007, from criminals involved in drug crime, £1.4 million across Greater Manchester was taken from crooks.

Officers took money and possessions to prevent offenders enjoying a life of luxury once they leave prison.

In the past, offenders could rely on their proceeds of crime to ensure they enjoyed the good life after serving their time.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: “Seizing criminals assets sends a clear message to criminals that crime does not pay.

“I would like to thank the police and other agencies for their hard work in recovering £34 million of assets from criminals and I am pleased to take this opportunity to return this money to the front line for use in the fight against crime.”

Police can ask courts to grant forfeiture orders allowing them to keep money seized from offenders.

Alternatively, they can ask for a confiscation order, forcing offenders to pay back money equivalent to their benefit from crime.

Last year the Government reached its target of recovering £125 million of criminal assets, five times more than in 2003.

The Government want to double the latest amount to £250 million by 2009-10.