POLICE in Cheshire will receive a £65,000 cash boost from assets seized from criminals last year.
Half of all criminal assets confiscated by Cheshire Constabulary and other asset recovery agencies between July and September 2008 will be given to police, prosecutors and courts.
Across England and Wales, police forces will receive £5.44 million and Cheshire Constabulary will be given a £65,822.95 share. Prosecutors and the courts will also receive a cut.
Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect in 2003, £530.5 million has been seized and the incentive scheme introduced in 2006 allows the police and recovery agencies to retain half of all the cash they seize.
Home Office Minister Alan Campbell said: “This 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 use it for their fight against crime in their area.
“Recovering more than £30 million 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.”
