Criminals to be 'hurt in pockets'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6761349.stm

Version 0 of 1.

Specialist financial investigators are to be appointed to every police district in Northern Ireland to "hurt criminals in their pockets".

Detective Superintendent Roy McComb, new head of the PSNI's Economic Crime Bureau, said the unit wants to seize more cash and assets from criminals.

The proceeds of crime - be it cash, flash cars or "bling" - could be taken, Det Sup McComb said.

He said that many financial investigators were being trained.

"This year there's been an agreement to install or embed more financial investigators at every district.

"They are being trained at the minute," Det Supt McComb said.

"Money goes through the vast majority of crimes. Over 70% of all crimes have a financial benefit to someone.

"We are embedding financial investigation powers down at every level of the police service to hurt criminals financially even more than we are doing at the minute."

Assets

It is understood the government is preparing to announce the amount of criminal assets and drugs recovered in Northern Ireland last year, along with its latest threat assessment.

Det Supt McComb told Press Association that nearly £100,000 in cash has been seized by the PSNI in 22 operations mounted since April.

During 2006/07 police obtained 14 confiscation orders from the courts worth £1.5m.

Another 27 restraining orders stopped suspects selling off £11m worth of property, land, cars and even horses.

Det Supt McComb said that with an expanded team of financial investigators, police could be even more successful.

"If you are driving a flash car, or carrying the latest mobile phone, top of the range iPods, jewellery and we believe its the proceeds of crime - from the lowest level of drug dealing to people driving around covered in bling - we can take it off them," he said.