Lancashire police seize £60,000 of criminals' cash (From Preston and Leyland Citizen)

Lancashire police seize £60,000 of criminals' cash

2:20pm Thursday 20th November 2008

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(2)

OVER £60,000 of criminals' cash seized by Lancashire police is to be given back to the force to help fight crime.

Lancashire Police will receive a £61,864.99 cash injection from assets seized from criminals.

Since April, Lancashire police have forfeited £830K in cash seizures and £1.5m in confiscations to the Home Office.

Criminal assets confiscated by police forces and other asset recovery agencies nationally between April and June 2008 totalled £28.6m - £14.3m of which is now being 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.

Earlier this year Lancashire police revealed new equipment on its surveillance helicopter, which had been paid for by the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Since the 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 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.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(2)