Proceeds of Crime Act - hitting criminals in the pocket
Criminals are living off the proceeds of their crimes – at our expense
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, criminals can have their illegal earnings and possessions taken away – even if they are not convicted of the crimes they have committed.
Criminal justice agencies in Wiltshire have joined forces to ensure crime does not pay.
Wiltshire Police is working with the Crown Prosecution Service and Her Majesty's Courts Service locally to utilise the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) and take money from criminals under Cash Seizure and Confiscation legislation.
The money will be ploughed back into further asset recovery work to help yet more cash be seized from criminals.
Since POCA was introduced in 2002, Wiltshire has applied the legislation to hit criminals where it hurts them the most – in their pockets.
Officers can even take cash from people if they believe it is the profits of crime. It is up to the criminal to prove they have acquired the cash legitimately.
The initiative and details of how the money returned to the local agencies will be spent is being promoted by the Wiltshire Criminal Justice Board (WCJB).
POCA investigations are undertaken and proceedings instigated by police officers in Wiltshire.
They will receive information on those suspected of living off the proceeds of crime through a wide number of sources including other police and community support officers and individual members of the public.
If police officers suspect someone is living off the proceeds of crime they will contact their POCA teams direct.
Members of the public who have similar suspicions should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or click here.
Crimestoppers is an independent UK charity dedicated to making our communities safer by helping the police to solve crimes.