Police seize nearly £2m in ‘dirty cash and assets’

Avon and Somerset Police seized nearly £2 million from criminals last year – but that was just over half as much as the previous year.

Government figures show the force seized £1.2m in 2019/20 in confiscation receipts, which are made to seize proceeds of crime following a criminal conviction.

That was 59 per cent less than the previous year, and a fall of a third (33 per cent) from the £1.9m recovered in 2014/15.

Meanwhile, Avon and Somerset Police collected £479,000 from forfeiture orders, which can be made without a criminal conviction, when there is a reasonable suspicion assets came from wrongdoing.

These orders can be made to forfeit cash, money held in bank accounts, or certain listed items which are either proceeds of crime or were intended to fund criminal activities.

The figure recovered from forfeitures was almost a seven-fold increase on the £83,000 picked up six years earlier and nearly four times as much as in 2018/19.

In total, the force seized £1.8m in 2019/20 – 43 per cent less than the £3.2m recovered the previous year, and a seven per cent fall over six years. Over that six-year period, £13.3m was taken from criminals across the areas.

All the money was collected under the Proceeds of Crime Act, which grants police forces and other agencies the power to seize cash and assets that have come from the profits of criminal activities.

The act, which became law in 2002, aims to disrupt criminal networks by cutting off funding, and to deprive crooks of the profits from any wrongdoing, as well as acting as a deterrent.

In total across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, £208m was seized from lawbreakers through the Proceeds of Crime Act in 2019/20, an eight per cent increase from 2014/15.

Forfeitures have been steadily rising each year and the £69m collected in 2019/20 was the highest level recovered in the last six years.

However, the £139m seized through confiscation orders last year was the lowest amount recovered over that same period.

Recovered cash is ploughed into projects focusing on crime reduction and community work, as well as asset recovery work.

In addition to a confiscation order, convicted criminals are often ordered to pay compensation to their victim. If the offender is unable to pay both, confiscated cash will go to the victim first.

Last year a total of £31m was paid out to victims from compensation orders, a rise of £7m (29 per cent) from the £24m paid out in 2014/15.

The Government says the falling value of confiscation orders could be because assets have already been seized by forfeiture orders or through other powers such as the Misuse of Drugs Act, along with wider changes in criminality.

Forfeitures have been rising due to, the Government says, improved performance on cash seizures, and new powers to seize bank accounts and listed assets in addition to cash, which were introduced by the Criminal Finances Act 2017.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Criminals must not be allowed to profit from their crime at the public’s expense, which is why we are committed to stripping them of their dirty cash and assets.

“Since 2014, we have recovered more than £1.25 billion from criminals and this year’s figures show the highest ever recorded amount forfeited in civil proceedings.

“However, we are not complacent and our Asset Recovery Action Plan sets out how we will go further in improving our response to criminal finances.”

Alex Mayes, external affairs manager at independent charity Victim Support, said: “While it is essential to acknowledge that no amount of compensation can make up for the distress and suffering endured by victims of crime, it is an important part of the justice process.

“Compensation orders are highly valued by victims and can go some way towards supporting them through their recovery and dealing with the financial impact.

“It also acts as a formal recognition of the harm caused by the offender and it is welcome that they are increasingly being used to give victims the help and support they need to rebuild their lives.”

❝ Criminals must not be allowed to profit from their crime at the public’s expense Home Office spokesperson