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17 November 2008
Police forces across England and Wales are to receive a £6m cash boost from assets seized from criminals, the Home Office announced today.
Criminal assets confiscated by police forces and other asset recovery agencies between April and June 2008 totalled £28.6m, £14.3m of which is to be shared between police, prosecutors and courts.
A total of £5.97m will be given to police forces in England and Wales, compared with £3.71m paid out in the same quarter last year.
Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect in 2003, £497million has been seized. An incentive scheme introduced in 2006 allows the police and recovery agencies to retain half of all cash they seize from criminals.
Home Office minister's statement
Today Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said, 'The incentive scheme is a great benefit for policing. Taking money from criminals makes crime far less profitable for them. At the same time, that money is ploughed directly back into the police force that seized it so they can strengthen their fight against crime in their area.
'Recovering almost £30million from criminals in the space of three months is a great achievement and I want to thank the police and other partners for their hard work in seizing the money and undermining criminal gangs.'
Association of Chief Police Officers' statement
Mick Creedon, Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary and ACPO lead on asset recovery said, 'The public are quite rightly sick and tired of seeing criminals leading lavish lifestyles without challenge, and all forces across England and Wales are determined to respond to this, and make full use of the available powers granted under the Proceeds of Crime Act and other legislation.
'We continue to work closely with the Home Office and other asset recovery agencies to ensure that not only crime doesn't pay, but that it is also seen by the public that it doesn't pay.'
Notes to editors
A total of £135.7m was recovered in the financial year 2007-8, £125.36m in 2006-7, £97.3m in 2005-6, £84m in 2004-5, and £54.5m in 2003-4.
Other agencies involved in asset recovery include HM Revenue and Customs, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Crown Prosecution Service, Assets Recovery Agency, HM Courts Service, Office of Criminal Justice Reform and the Home Office.
Major recipients are:
- Police - £5.97m
- HMCS - £2.39m
- CPS - £2.74m
- HMRC - £1.56m
- SOCA - £0.40m
For the first time, police and prosecutors will receive more than the courts, in an 18.75%/18.75%/12.5% split of confiscation receipts.
Regional breakdown
Below is a regional breakdown of the incentive payments to the 43 police forces for the period 01/04/2008 to 30/06/2008:
- Avon & Somerset Constabulary £51,976.55
- Bedfordshire Police £23,363.84
- British Transport Police £15,830.09
- Cambridgeshire Constabulary £87,827.68
- Cheshire Constabulary £38,293.96
- City of London Police £21,234.10
- Cleveland Police £37,447.01
- Cumbria Constabulary £26,054.68
- Derbyshire Constabulary £83,208.71
- Devon & Cornwall Constabulary £91,272.95
- Dorset Police £166,794.44
- Durham Constabulary £80,103.63
- Dyfed-Powys Police £19,649.31
- Essex Police £28,180.65
- Gloucestershire Constabulary £107,575.85
- Greater Manchester Police £317,283.17
- Gwent Police £36,734.06
- Hampshire Constabulary £82,300.53
- Hertfordshire Constabulary £312,626.36
- Humberside Police £31,697.23
- Kent Police £184,369.75
- Lancashire Constabulary £61,864.99
- Leicestershire Constabulary £68,462.26
- Lincolnshire Police £16,937.32
- Merseyside Police £999,723.58
- Metropolitan Police Service £1,619,019.11
- Norfolk Constabulary £13,342.34
- North Wales Police £38,105.97
- North Yorkshire Police £31,890.12
- Northamptonshire Police £29,054.22
- Northumbria Police £229,967.79
- Nottinghamshire Police £54,965.39
- South Wales Police £102,136.35
- South Yorkshire Police £62,007.40
- Staffordshire Police £228,619.03
- Suffolk Constabulary £43,511.26
- Surrey Police £45,015.37
- Sussex Police £59,427.28
- Thames Valley Police £76,693.10
- Warwickshire Police £3,656.74
- West Mercia Constabulary £54,828.79
- West Midlands Police £129,169.47
- West Yorkshire Police £141,487.73
- Wiltshire Constabulary £18,453.74
