HOME OFFICE News
Release (195/2008) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 17
November 2008
Police forces
across England and Wales are to receive a £6million 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 £28.6
million, £14.3m of which is to be shared between police,
prosecutors and courts.
A total of £5.97million will be given to police forces in England
and Wales, compared with £3.71million 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.
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."
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
1. A total of £135.7 million was recovered
in the financial year 2007-8, £125.36 million 2006-7, £97.3million
2005-6, £84.0million in 2004-5 and £54.5million in 2003-4.
2. 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 as follows:
Police -
£5.97million
HMCS - £2.39million
CPS -
£2.74million
HMRC - £1.56million
SOCA - £0.40million
3. For the first time, police and prosecutors will receive more
than the courts, in an 18.75/18.75/12.5 per cent split of
confiscation receipts.
4. Below is a regional breakdown of the incentive payments to the
43 police forces.
FORCE Police incentive allocations 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
TOTAL £5,972,163.90
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