MORE THAN £1.6million has been recovered in the last year from convicted criminals, depriving them of their ill-gotten gains.
West Midlands Police’s financial investigators helped to recover the ‘dirty money’ which means crooks cannot benefit from any illegal earnings in the future.
The economic crime unit (ECU) secured over 100 confiscation or forfeiture orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) during the last 12 months.
The court orders are pursued after investigations prove criminals have financially benefited from their crimes – in terms of ready cash or investment in property.
Those who do not pay up face extended prison sentences, although the debt never goes away and officers are able to recover what is owed in the future.
The recovered cash can compensate victims or is invested into helping communities under the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Active Citizen’s Fund.
Det Ch Insp Alex Pritchard, who heads up the ECU, said: “We know criminals involved in the likes of drug-dealing and fraud are likely to have accrued large sums of money from their illegal activities.
“So them being convicted and jailed is not the end of things, it’s just the start for us as we seek to trace the cash and prove it’s ‘dirty money.’
“These can often be complex enquiries but we have very skilled staff who are able to pinpoint their illegal gains and ensure that crime doesn’t pay.”
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “It’s always pleasing to see the police deal with criminals robustly, recover proceeds of crime and ensure justice is served.
“I will invest much of the recovered assets and cash back into our region, to support communities that are determined to prevent crime and keep their areas safe and secure.”
