The introduction of civil forfeiture legislation will be a very useful tool against organised crime said Acting National Crime Manager Inspector Bill Peoples.
" The legislation will assist police to put added pressure on organised crime to reduce the levels of criminal activity and in particular help strangle the flow of funds into assets obtained from proceeds of crime," said Inspector Peoples.
"The civil forfeiture puts the onus on criminals to prove the assets have not been accumulated from criminal activities."
Police make every effort to establish whether assets owned by offenders have been obtained through proceeds from crime. However, the sophisticated systems devised to cover up the trail of transactions and "laundering" of proceeds makes it a difficult and lengthy process.
Inspector Peoples said anything that will help deter criminals from benefiting from proceeds from crime will strike at the heart of the influence of organised crime groups.
ENDS