Background
The setting up of the ARA was a key aspect of the POCA, which the Government's intended to take the profit out of crime, aiming to dismantle and disrupt organised crime gangs by confiscating the financial proceeds of criminal acts. It brings together previous legislation, such as the Drug Trafficking Act 1994 and Part VI of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, with the changes recommended in a comprehensive report of a study conducted by the Performance and Innovation Unit of the Cabinet Office in 2000.
POCA strengthened the legislation relating to seizures of cash, money laundering, investigatory powers, and restraint and confiscation procedures. Previously, only profits from certain crimes, such as drug trafficking, were liable to confiscation.
The Agency had three strategic aims:
- To disrupt organised criminal enterprises through the recovery of criminal assets, thereby alleviating the effects of crime on communities.
- To promote the use of financial investigation as an integral part of criminal investigation, within and outside the Agency, domestically and internationally, through training and continuing professional development.
- To operate the Agency in accordance with its vision and values.
Read more about this topic: Assets Recovery Agency
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