May 24, 2007: Seizing Offenders' Assets

Government proposals to give law enforcement agencies new powers to make it easier to seize criminals’ luxury possessions and high value goods used in crime, such as cars and boats, have been announced by Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker. A range of new measures to take asset out of criminal hands have been outlined in the Asset Recovery Action Plan consultation paper. Proposals include:

• New powers to seize ‘bling’, such as jewellery and plasma TVs, from those charged with acquisitive crimes;
• Extending powers to include the seizure of cash and other assets such as cars or boats believed to have been used in crimes or are the proceeds of crime;
• Ensuring the recovery of assets is mainstreamed into the criminal sentencing process;
• Offering citizens a percentage of assets seized for whistle-blowing on fraud committed against the Government;
• Removing the time limit for the seizure of assets through civil recovery;
• Asset sharing with other countries to target assets sent overseas;
• Creating a system to process seized cash outside the courts, if not contested;
• Giving law enforcement agencies the authority to decide which assets should be seized to pay the confiscation order;
• Extending the use of tax powers to target unexplainable criminal assets.

The total amount recouped by all agencies involved in asset recovery in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was £125million in 2006/2007. This represents a five-fold increase over five years. The newly published  Assets Recovery Agency Annual Report 2006/2007 shows that it met or exceeded its key disruption and enforcement targets. Today’s proposals will help achieve the Governments target of doubling last year’s asset recovery target to £250million by 2009/2010. Mr Coaker said:

"Asset recovery is critical to the fight against all levels of crime and is one of the Government’s top priorities for law enforcement. The achievements made over the last five years are impressive and I want to congratulate the hard work and sheer determination of all those who have helped us accomplish the £125million target we set. However, we are not complacent and we are committed to go even further to ensure criminals are not profiting from crime or from the misery of others."

"The Action Plan has been designed to help us take our next steps forward in asset recovery, with new powers to seize more from those who commit crime and measures to ensure processes to retrieve assets are the most effective possible."

"Our new aim is to double last year’s target of £125million assets seized to £250million by 2009/2010. This is an extremely challenging target but the new powers proposed will help us to confiscate even more from criminals and achieve our long term vision of depriving them of up to £1billion."

For more on organised crime and asset seizure, read the Home Office report Organised Crime: revenues, economic and social cost and criminal assets available for seizure.