MONEY seized from South Yorkshire criminals as a result of police action has soared from less than £300,000 to £5m in only three years, making the force one of the best performers in the country.
All police forces have responded to legislation passed in 2003 which allows them greater powers to either seize assets directly from crime suspects or ask a judge to make a confiscation order.
South Yorkshire Police have established specialist tea
ms to take advantage of those rules, some operating at force wide level to target the more serious offenders with colleagues now working in each of the county's four policing districts to pursue lower-level criminals.
Some crimes, such as drug trafficking and smuggling counterfeit goods, can produce huge profits and that means substantial sums can be claimed back.
In one recent case, a Judge at Sheffield Crown Court ordered a gang of cigarette smugglers to repay £400,000 they were proved to have made.
The Government uses a process called incentivisation to put some of the money seized from criminals back into law enforcement.
When police physically seize cash or assets, such as money believed to be acquired from drug dealing, they are allowed to keep half when the legal process is complete.
In circumstances where a judge makes an order to recover assets following a prosecution, the force gets one sixth of the cash, with the courts and Crown Prosecution Service each getting the same proportion.
Police use that money to advance their work against other criminals, meaning the amount of money recovered is likely to increase in future.
The scope of the legislation has also been widened since the 2003 Act, meaning it is now easier for police to take action.
Those suspected of offences which cannot be proved may also be guilty of crimes which can be traced more easily by economic crime specialists.
For example, criminals without a legitimate source of income may commit mortgage crime by lying on their application forms.
Det Chief Insp Gary Blinkhorn, head of South Yorkshire Police economic crime unit, said the major targets for action included "dysfunctional role models", those with an established lifestyle supported by crime. "They are those in society who young people look up to, people who believe they are untouchable," he said.
"Others are organised crime groups, which can be a family syndicate or organised criminals," he said.
Officers are now working to "map" them and their activities across the county to make it easier to take co-ordinated action.
The effect of stripping criminals of their assets provides a visible signal in the community that the justice system is effective, but it also makes it more difficult for them to re-establish themselves after being released from prison.
Where offenders no longer have the assets to clear off an order made against them the debt will remain for life so if they re-establish a wealthy lifestyle at a later time police can take action to recover money.
"It is fabulous legislation," said DCI Blinkhorn.
Police are working with the Crimestoppers charity on a campaign called Too Much Bling, Give Us a Ring, which will encourage people with suspicions about possible offenders to provide details anonymously, using the 0800 555 111 telephone number.
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