CHESHIRE Police took cash and assets worth more than £1million out of the hands of criminals last year, figures show.

To prevent people reaping the benefits of a criminal lifestyle, courts can use sentencing powers to hand down confiscation orders, while authorities can also use civil powers to deprive offenders of the proceeds of crime.

Home Office figures show Cheshire Police collected proceeds of crime worth around £1.3million in 2020-21.

Of this, £719,000 was obtained through confiscation orders, with officers deploying civil powers to take another £554,500 in cash and assets away from offenders.

The total collected by the force under the Proceeds of Crime Act was up from around £1.1million the year before – an 11 per cent increase.

DI Kelly-Ann Cain, from Cheshire Police’s Economic Crime Unit, said: “In the last few years, we have been raising awareness of and training officers on legislation that provides us with increased opportunities to recover proceeds of crime.

“The results of our hard work are highlighted in the report, with more than £1million taken from criminals in the last year.

“While we make it absolutely clear that Cheshire is a hostile place for criminals, who we are relentlessly in pursuit of to face the justice system, it does not stop once they are in prison.

“POCA allows us to hit them where it hurts by seizing their prized possessions and cash profited from illegal commodity and put it back into the good of the local community.”

Police forces in England and Wales collected around £96million in 2020-21, down from £101million the previous year.

The use of civil powers to seize cash and assets increased, while there was a sharp drop in the amount paid via confiscation orders.

The overall amount collected by police and other authorities in confiscation order receipts was at its lowest level in six years, with increased amounts seized via forfeitures reflecting a widespread shift from the use of criminal to civil powers.

But experts say significant disruption to the criminal justice system due to the coronavirus pandemic also contributed to the national drop.

Jury trials were halted and many magistrates' courts closed due to pandemic restrictions, leading to a reduction in the number of orders made.

Courts also prioritised trials for the most serious offences, meaning fewer acquisitive crime cases were heard last year.

Adrian Foster, of the Crown Prosecution Service's proceeds of crime division, added: “The closure of courts and suspension of auctions and house sales during the height of the pandemic has severely impacted on the amount paid by individuals towards their confiscation orders this year.

“But as courts recover, we are determined to ensure criminals do not benefit from their ill-gotten gains.”