Criminals' cash hands boost to Midlands police; CRIME: Forces benefit as authorities seize ill-gotten gains.Byline: Emma Stone POLICE forces in the West Midlands and Warwickshire are to receive a cash boost from the illgotten gains of convicted criminals. The Home Office announced yesterday that West Midlands Police West Midlands Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second largest in the United Kingdom after London's Metropolitan Police [1]. It covers an area with nearly 2. and Warwickshire Police Warwickshire Police is the Home Office police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It was known as Warwickshire Constabulary until 2001. It is the second smallest territorial police force in the United Kingdom after the City of London Police, with only would each receive a cut of the pounds 5.5million being shared among the 43 police forces in England and Wales England and Wales are both constituent countries of the United Kingdom, that together share a single legal system: English law. Legislatively, England and Wales are treated as a single unit (see State (law)) for the conflict of laws. . Criminal assets seized by police forces and other asset recovery agencies between October and December 2008 totalled pounds 31.8million - half of which will now be shared between police, prosecutors and the courts. West Midlands Police has been earmarked for pounds 397,268.63 and Warwickshire Police will receive pounds 9,172.95. Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect in 2003, more than pounds 530million has been seized. The process allows for a financial investigation of defendants' assets. Where it can be proved there has been gain from criminal conduct, the court can confiscate To expropriate private property for public use without compensating the owner under the authority of the Police Power of the government. To seize property. When property is confiscated it is transferred from private to public use, usually for reasons such as assets. If the criminal does not pay up they face additional time being added to their sentence. In Coventry schools and churches have been among the community organisations to have benefited from cash confiscated by police. Home Of- fice Minister Vernon Coaker has welcomed the investment. Speaking yesterday, he 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 for their fight against crime in their area. "Recovering more than pounds 31million 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." |
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