Police have seized £21m of criminals' money this year - here's what it's been spent on

Fraudsters have been forced to cough up their ill-gotten gains to fund projects for children in West Yorkshire, detectives say.
By Susie Beever
Published 9th Apr 2019, 19:12 BST
Updated 9th Apr 2019, 19:19 BST
West Yorkshire Police have seized 21m from cases of serious and organised crime in the past year. Picture: PAWest Yorkshire Police have seized 21m from cases of serious and organised crime in the past year. Picture: PA
West Yorkshire Police have seized 21m from cases of serious and organised crime in the past year. Picture: PA

West Yorkshire Police have revealed that £21million has been seized from criminals in cases of fraud and money-laundering over the past financial year.

An anti-knife crime project in Leeds and youth clubs in the Kirklees District are just some of the services to have benefited after the cash was injected back into the community through their Safer Communities Fund.

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The £21m is a record-breaking amount for the force's Financial Investigation Unit and North East Recovery Team, who work to bring serious, organised crime cases to justice and retrieve illegally-gained cash.

It's thought this type of crime costs the UK economy as much as £37bn a year.

Some £4,800 seized from recent fraud cases has been pumped into the LED Community Foundation to deliver the 'Stop the Knives + Young Lives' sessions, which delivers sessions to schoolchildren raising awareness of the dangers of carrying a knife.

The RADYCAL project in Kirklees also benefited £1770 from criminals' cash, which will fund support, activities and youth clubs for children in the school holidays.

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-> Police appeal to trace assault victim linked to Leeds stabbingsThe Huddersfield Giants Community Trust also gained £5,000. The Trust use the power of sport to change behaviours, and the cash has enabled them to provide a series of assemblies and workshops in schools on the impact of knife crime.

Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said the cash means "we can tackle some of the most significant threats facing our county".

He said: "We all know that the subject of knife crime remains high on the agenda and I have been able to use the fund to respond by specifically setting a theme of addressing serious violence.

"In the last financial year alone, I have been able to offer 3 grant rounds to the tune of £629,368, as a direct result of what is seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act."