Official Statistics

Asset Recovery Statistical Bulletin: Financial years ending March 2018 to March 2023

Published 7 September 2023

Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales

1. About this Release

Asset denial by restraint (Restraint Orders), seizures (cash, Listed Assets) and freezing orders (Account Freezing Orders) and asset recovery through Criminal Confiscations, Civil Forfeitures and Civil Recovery powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 are used to deprive criminals of their money, or other property connected to criminal activity, and recover the proceeds of crime. They represent important tools in the disruption of criminal activity and an alternative, or supplementary, mechanism to criminal prosecution and conviction. Criminal proceeds can subsequently be reinvested for use in tackling crime and in some cases be returned in compensation to victims.

This release contains Official Statistics on the value and volume of proceeds of crime restrained, seized, frozen (the ‘denial’ phase) and subsequently recovered and receipted (the ‘recovery’ phase). The release also includes statistics on:

• the value and volume of proceeds of crime by the associated criminal offence types (including modern slavery and grand corruption in annexes b and c respectively)
• the value of compensation paid to victims
• the amount of funds distributed to POCA agencies through the Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS)
• the use of funds received by POCA Agencies through ARIS
• the amount awarded to projects via ARIS Top Slice Funding
• statistics on International Asset Recovery

1.1 Data coverage

This release refers to data covering the financial years ending March 2018 to March 2023, for the jurisdictions of England and Wales and Northern Ireland. The release does not include data covering Scotland. The statistics are presented as nominal values, that is, not adjusted for inflation, unless stated otherwise and any comparisons to previous years do not account for inflation. Further information on methodology, data sources, data and statistics quality, and adherence to the Code of Practice for Statistics can be found in the accompanying Methodology and Data Quality Report and Background Quality Report.

2. Main Headlines

2.1 Asset recovery

£339.1 million of assets were recovered from Confiscation, Forfeiture, and Civil Recovery Orders in the financial year 2022 to 2023.

This is a fall of 5% compared to 2021 to 2022, which was the highest year on record for proceeds of crime recovered, but reflects the overall rising trend in asset recovery over the last 6 years. Receipts have risen by 75% compared to £193.8 million in 2017 to 2018 and are 49% higher than the 6-year median of £227.8 million.

Figure 1: The value of proceeds of crime recovered from Confiscation Order, Forfeiture Order, and Civil Recovery Order Receipts from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023 in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD (Confiscation Order and Forfeiture Order Receipts) and NCA (Civil Recovery Order Receipts)

Notes:

1. The data presented in Figure 1 represents a breakdown for the total proceeds of crime recovered from Confiscation Orders, Forfeiture Orders and Civil Recovery Order Receipts over the previous 6 financial years.

Of the £339.1 million recovered in 2022 to 2023:

• £179.0 million was recovered through Confiscation Order Receipts, a 16% increase from 2021 to 2022 and 21% higher than the 6-year median amount recovered; this is mainly attributed to a record high Confiscation Order of £93.5 million obtained by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)

• £97.2 million was recovered through Forfeiture Order Receipts, a relative fall of 50% from 2021 to 2022, due to a drop in the volume and value of high value (£1+ million) Account Freezing Orders (AFOs) and Cash Seizures, but reflecting a longer-term sustained increase in the amount recovered, up 15% from the 6-year median

• £62.9 million was recovered through Civil Recovery Order Receipts, a 544% increase from 2021 to 2022, and the highest amount recovered in the last 6 years; this is mainly attributed to a £53.9 million order obtained by the National Crime Agency (NCA)

2.2 Asset denial

£572.0 million of assets were restrained, seized or frozen in 2022 to 2023.

This is a 34% decrease compared to £865.4 million restrained, seized or frozen in the previous financial year. Of this:

• £369.8 million of Restraint Orders were granted, a 45% decrease from £668.0 million in 2021 to 2022, falling 36% below the 6-year median of £578.3 million; this is due to a drop in the number and value of high value (£1+ million) restraint cases in 2022 to 2023 compared to the previous year

• £202.2 million was seized and frozen under Forfeiture powers (Cash Seizures, Account Freezing Orders (AFOs) and Listed Asset Orders), showing stability compared to the previous financial year (up 2%) and 6-year median of £199.8 million (up 1%); while the value of assets seized under Cash Seizures has consistently fallen since 2020 to 2021, the value of AFOs have increased by 7% since 2021 to 2022, offsetting the decline from Cash Seizures and driving an overall small increase in the total value of seizures

Additionally, £192.5 million of Confiscation Order Impositions were granted. These figures are not included in the overall asset denial figure as they do not have the effect of seizing, freezing or restraining assets. They are recorded in this pre-asset recovery phase of the system as they are the point at which the court places a requirement to pay a Confiscation Order on an offender.

Figure 2 below provides an overview of the asset recovery system, providing summary statistics on the proceeds of crime restrained, imposed and recovered through Criminal Confiscation POCA powers and Civil Forfeiture POCA powers.

Figure 2: Overview of the asset recovery system in the financial year 2022 to 2023 in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Data presented in Figure 2 includes the proceeds of crime restrained, imposed, seized, frozen and recovered under POCA powers in 2022 to 2023.
2. Restraint Orders are an optional power and not all proceeds of crime recovered at the end of the criminal proceedings will have been subject to a Restraint Order earlier in the process. Users should be cautious when making comparisons between the data reported for Restraint Orders and Confiscation Orders Impositions for this reason.
3. The figure presented in Figure 2 for Total Asset Recovery Receipts, represents the total value for the proceeds of crime recovered through Confiscation Orders, Forfeiture Orders and Civil Recovery Order Receipts.
4. The total value of proceeds of crime may not equal the sum of the value of proceeds of crime for each individual power for a few reasons: (a) a proportion of Total Asset Recovery Receipts will relate to Restraint Orders, Confiscation Order Impositions and Seizures made in previous years; (b) some proceeds of crime restrained or seized may not yet be recovered or released or returned to the individual if their legitimacy is subsequently proven; (c) rounding.

2.3 Victim compensation and funding

• £15.5 million was paid in compensation to victims from proceeds of crime recovered through Confiscation Order Receipts in 2022 to 2023, a 32% decrease from 2021 to 2022, and a 42% decrease from the 6-year median

• £117.9 million of Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) funding was distributed to POCA Agencies in the financial year 2022 to 2023, a 17% decrease from 2021 to 2022, which is mirrored by the overall decrease in the proceeds of crime recovered in the same period

• £13.9 million was agreed as the ARIS Top Slice budget for financial year 2022 to 2023, this was used to fund a total of 18 projects to improve asset recovery processes and performance

2.4 Real terms comparison

The statistics presented in this section are presented in real values that is, adjusted for inflation to current prices and any comparisons to previous year do account for inflation. All statistics in this section have been converted to real terms using the latest GDP deflators available at time of publication (published June 2023). All financial years are stated in price levels inflating to 2023 to 2024.

The overall upward trend for the total proceeds of crime recovered over the previous 6 years is also reflected when adjusted for current prices. Since 2017 to 2018, the total proceeds of crime recovered in real terms have increased from £233.4 million to £347.7 million (up 49%), consistent with the 75% increase observed in nominal values over the same period. This is driven by a longer-term rise in Forfeiture Order and Civil Recovery Receipts over the last 6 years.

When adjusted for inflation, the fall in the total proceeds of crime recovered in 2022 to 2023 compared to the previous year is exacerbated, decreasing by 11% compared to the £391.1 million recovered in 2021 to 2022 in real terms. In nominal values, the value of proceeds of crime recovered has fallen by 5%. Further detail on real term figures can be found in Table 1 of the Asset Recovery Statistics, financial years ending 2018 to 2023: Data Tables accompanying this bulletin.

3. Key background information

The Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002 provides the statutory framework used to enable the investigation and prosecution of crimes relating to benefit from criminal conduct; or crimes relating to property obtained through unlawful conduct or which is intended to be used in unlawful conduct. It is also used to deprive criminals of their money or other property connected to criminal activity. The Economic Crime Plan 2 further highlights the importance of asset denial and asset recovery tools in tackling economic crime. Links to further information on POCA can be found in the Background Information Note.

A Forfeiture Order can be granted for assets seized by way of Cash Seizures, Account Freezing Orders (AFOs) and Listed Asset Orders. The latter 2 powers were introduced under the Criminal Finances Act 2017 (CFA). The Criminal Finances Act 2017 also introduced Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWOs) under Civil Recovery powers.

The Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) was introduced in 2006 to allow a proportion of the proceeds of crime recovered under POCA to be redistributed to operational partners involved in the asset recovery process.

3.1 Data notes

Data presented on POCA powers and associated forfeiture seizures are produced using data collected on a live operational database, the Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD). It should be noted there will be variations in the data recorded for each financial year due to revisions made in retrospection on the live administrative Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD) system. Figures included in the latest statistical release supersede previous officially reported figures. Therefore, any direct comparisons of changes in asset recovery performance should not be made between the latest and previous releases of the Asset Recovery Annual Statistical Bulletin. Statistical information on this is outlined in the Methodology and Data Quality Report and Background Quality Report.

AFOs, Listed Asset Orders and UWOs were made available to use in England and Wales from 31 January 2018. These powers were extended to Northern Ireland under the Criminal Finances Act 2017 with effect from 28 June 2021.

Statistics on the use of funds received by POCA Agencies through ARIS, the amount awarded to projects via ARIS Top Slice Funding and International Asset Recovery are considered as experimental due to the quality of the data source from which the statistics have been produced. For further information on Experimental Statistics and the data source and quality issues associated with the experimental statistics included in this release, please refer to the accompanying Methodology and Data Quality Report.

3.2 Main changes

There have been some changes in the methodology for this statistical release which concern:

• the location of jurisdiction for cases under Forfeiture Orders
• the Use of ARIS survey response rate

The release also includes additional statistics for the first time on:

• real values that is, adjusted for inflation to current prices
• the amount awarded to projects via ARIS Top Slice Funding
• the value of assets restrained, seized, frozen, recovered and returned from orders associated with grand corruption

The main changes and additions to the Bulletin are presented in detail in Annex A. Further details of these changes and previous methodological changes can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality Report.

3.3 Additional information

Information on the definitions for different civil and criminal POCA powers can be found in the accompanying Background Information Note.

There is additional legislation which can be used for the detaining and seizure of criminal assets such as the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Modern Slavery Act 2015. It should be noted that this release does not include orders under these Acts.

Information on other published asset recovery statistics can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality Report. Including:

• HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) on the collection of Civil Recovery and Taxation
• NCA Annual Report and Accounts
• Home Office Unexplained Wealth Order Report can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality Report

4. Criminal confiscation powers

Part 2 of POCA makes provision for the confiscation of a person’s benefit from criminal conduct, following a criminal conviction. If the relevant statutory conditions are satisfied, the court must decide the recoverable amount for that person and make an order (a Confiscation Order) requiring them to pay that amount.

This section provides statistics on the value and volume of the proceeds of crime restrained and imposed, and the value of proceeds of crime recovered under the POCA powers through criminal confiscation specifically:

1. Restraint Orders
2. Confiscation Order Impositions
3. Confiscation Order Receipts

4.1 Assets denied by restraint orders

£369.8 million was restrained from Restraint Orders in 2022 to 2023, a 45% decrease from £668.0 million in 2021 to 2022, and a decrease of 32% from £539.9 million in 2017 to 2018.

The number of Restraint Orders granted has remained relatively stable since 2018 to 2019, with 1,100 orders granted in 2022 to 2023, slightly lower (6%) than the 6-year median of 1,200.

Figure 3: The total value of proceeds of crime restrained from Restraint Orders from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Values data presented in Figure 3 includes proceeds of crime that are restrained and cannot be accessed by the defendant whilst confiscation proceedings and enforcement are ongoing.
2. A Restraint Order is an optional power and does not reflect the overall number of Confiscation Orders made (impositions) or the proceeds of crime recovered at the end of the criminal proceedings. Confiscation Orders can be imposed without having a previous Restraint Order. Users should be cautious when making comparisons between the data reported for Restraint Orders and Confiscation Orders Impositions for this reason.

Figure 4: The volume of Restraint Orders granted from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Volume data presented in Figure 4 includes the number of restraint orders where proceeds of crime were restrained and cannot be disposed of by the owner whilst confiscation proceedings and enforcement are ongoing.
2. Restraint Orders do not reflect the overall number of Confiscation Orders made (impositions) or the proceeds of crime recovered at the end of the criminal proceedings. Confiscation Orders can be imposed without having a previous Restraint Order.

As shown in Figure 3, there is a fluctuating trend in the value of proceeds of crime restrained from Restraint Orders over the last 6 financial years, driven by the volatility of high value (£1+ million) Restraint Orders. The value of Restraint Orders in 2022 to 2023 fell to a 6-year low, falling 36% below the 6-year median of £578.3 million. This reduced performance is due to a drop in the number and value of high value (£1+ million) cases in 2022 to 2023.

The highest peak in 2018 to 2019 relates to a single high value Restraint Order which was worth almost half of the Restraint Orders that year. 2021 to 2022 also saw exceptional performance, characterised by a 6-year peak in the number of high value Restraint Orders (£1+ million) granted (70 orders).

Restraint Orders by primary offence type

The value of Restraint Orders has fallen across all offence types compared to 2021 to 2022, apart from modern slavery associated orders whose value has more than tripled, going from £1.0 million to £3.6 million (see Annex B for more detail).

In 2022 to 2023 there were 250 fraud-related Restraint Orders, which accounted for £169.9 million (46%) of the total amount restrained from Restraint Orders, showing a 48% fall in value compared to £329.3 million from 310 orders in 2021 to 2022. Over the last 6 financial years, fraud-related Restraint Orders have contributed the largest amount as an offence type, accounting for £1.9 billion (54%) of the £3.4 billion total value restrained from Restraint Orders over this period. Most of this, £1.5 billion, can be attributed to 158 high value (£1+ million) Restraint Orders.

Drugs related offences accounted for £106.9 million (29%) of the total amount restrained from Restraint Orders in 2022 to 2023. This is a 21% decrease compared to £135.9 million in 2021 to 2022 but up substantially over the 6-year period, increasing by 55% compared to £68.9 million in 2017 to 2018. This is mainly attributed to the number of drug-related orders increasing by 31% from 480 orders in 2017 to 2018 to 630 in 2022 to 2023, accounting for 56% of Restraint Orders in 2022 to 2023. For the last 6 financial years drugs-related criminal offences have been the most common primary offence type, accounting for almost half (47%) of all Restraint Orders since 2017 to 2018.

Restraint Orders by agency sector

The value of proceeds of crime restrained from Restraint Orders has fallen across all agency sectors compared to the previous financial year, apart from Small to Medium POCA agencies, which contributed £114.4 million in 2022 to 2023, accounting for 31% of the value of Restraint Orders, compared to £68.3 million (10%) in the previous year. This is driven by 7 high value Restraint Orders granted in 2022 to 2023 worth a value of £93.0 million.

In 2022 to 2023, Local Police Forces restrained £140.8 million through 710 Restraint Orders, accounting for 38% of the total value for Restraint Orders, and 63% of the total number of Restraint Orders. Local Police Forces have been the most prominent agency sector over the last 6 financial years, accounting for 46% of the value of Restraint Orders since 2017 to 2018. However, both the value and number of their Restraint Orders have declined over the last 6 years, with value seeing a much larger decline, falling by 41% from 2017 to 2018 and by 39% from the previous financial year.

4.2 Confiscation order impositions

£192.5 million of Confiscation Orders were imposed in the financial year 2022 to 2023.

This is an increase of 7% from £179.4 million in the previous financial year but a decrease of 20% from £241.1 million in 2017 to 2018.

2,800 Confiscation Orders were imposed in the financial year 2022 to 2023.

This has fallen by 4% from 2,900 in the previous financial year and falling by 43% from 5,000 in 2017 to 2018.

Figure 5: The value of proceeds of crime imposed from Confiscation Orders from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Values data presented in Figure 5 includes proceeds of crime which the defendant is ordered to pay back to the court. It does not reflect the proceeds of crime which are subsequently recovered through enforcement action and payments.

Figure 6: The volume of Confiscation Orders Imposed from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Volumes data presented in Figure 6 include proceeds of crime which the defendant is ordered to pay back to the court. It does not reflect the proceeds of crime which are subsequently recovered through enforcement action and payments.

As shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6, there has been an overall decline in the value of Confiscation Order Impositions over the last 6 years, accompanied by a gradual fall in the volume of Confiscation Order impositions granted. However, since the lowest trough in 2020 to 2021, a small number of high value (£1+ million) imposition orders have uplifted performance, with the total value of Confiscation Orders imposed in 2022 to 2023 being 3% higher than the median for the previous 6 financial years (£187.7 million).

The 6-year low in 2020 to 2021 could be linked to the restrictions introduced in the COVID-19 pandemic which affected law enforcement, criminal justice, and asset recovery systems.

Confiscation Order Impositions by primary offence type

In 2022 to 2023 there were 400 fraud-related Confiscation Order impositions, which accounted for £125.6 million (65%) of the total value of Confiscation Order Impositions in 2022 to 2023, showing a substantive increase compared to £44.3 million in the previous financial year. This 184% increase can be explained by a £93.5 million order obtained by the Serious Fraud Organisation (SFO) for a case involving bribery and corruption across a company’s oil operations. This is the largest Confiscation Order imposed in the history of the Asset Recovery annual statistical series.

Excluding 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022, Confiscation Orders associated with fraud-related offences had the greatest value of impositions compared to other primary offence types. This is driven by Fraud related offences typically comprising the greatest proportion of high value Confiscation Order Impositions (£1+ million).

Drug-related offences contributed £45.7 million (24%) to the proceeds of crime imposed from Confiscation Orders in 2022 to 2023, increasing by 55% compared to 2021 to 2022. This was associated with 2,000 orders accounting for 72% of the number of Confiscation Orders imposed this year, increasing year on year proportion-wise over the last 6 financial years.

At £3.1 million from 90 orders, the value of Confiscation Order Impositions associated with Money Laundering offences has substantially dropped, falling by 93% compared to £46.0 million from 110 orders the previous year. This is explained by an absence of high value cases (£1+ million) and an 18% fall in the volume of Confiscation Orders processed in 2022 to 2023 for money laundering cases. The volume of Confiscation Order Impositions associated with Money Laundering has been falling year on year since 2018 to 2019.

Confiscation Order Impositions by agency sector

In 2022 to 2023, the value of Confiscation Orders Imposed from cases processed by Large POCA Agencies was £102.7 million, accounting for 53% of the total value of Confiscation Order Impositions, the proportion remains unchanged from the previous year. Local Police Forces had the highest number of orders (2,200) which contributed £50.2 million (26%) and Regional Asset Recovery Teams (RARTs) contributed £26.7 million (14%).

From the financial years ending 2018 to 2020, Local Police Forces processed the greatest value of Confiscation Order Impositions compared to other agency sectors. Since, the amount processed by local police has more than halved and Large POCA agencies have become the dominant sector contributing to the value of Confiscation Order Impositions, accounting for 51% of the total value of Confiscation Order Impositions since 2020 to 2021. This is driven by Large POCA agencies being the predominant agency processing high value Confiscation Order Impositions (£1+ million).

4.3 Assets Recovered by Confiscation Order Receipts

£179.0 million was recovered from Confiscation Order Receipts in the financial year 2022 to 2023, the highest amount recorded in the last 6 years.

This is an increase of 16% from £153.9 million recovered in the previous financial year and a longer-term increase of 26% from £142.6 million in 2017 to 2018. Exceptional performance in 2022 to 2023 is attributed to a £93.5 million Confiscation Order recovered by the SFO.

Figure 7: The Value of Confiscation Order Receipts from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Figure 7 shows the value of proceeds of crime recovered (paid against Confiscation Order Impositions) from the defendant following the end of criminal proceedings. It includes payments received from the defendant on any outstanding Confiscation Orders which means it can include payments linked to a Confiscation Order Imposition in the current financial year and previous ones.

As shown in Figure 7, there was a decline in the value of Confiscation Order Receipts between the financial years ending 2018 to 2021. The introduction of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020 to 2021 had a negative effect on the entire asset recovery system, including investigation, prosecution and conviction capacity and capability, impacting Confiscation Order Impositions and Confiscation Order Receipts in 2020 to 2021 and 2021 to 2022.

Since 2020 to 2021, the value of Confiscation Order Receipts has increased exponentially, exceeding the 6-year median of £148.2 million by 21%.

Confiscation Order Receipts’ Value by primary offence type

In 2022 to 2023 Confiscation Order Receipts associated with fraud-related offences was £117 million, accounting for 65% of total Confiscation Order Receipts recovered that year. This is up 179% from £42.0 million (accounting for 27%) in the previous financial year. This improved performance can be explained by a £93.5 million fraud related order recovered by the SFO.

The value of proceeds of crime recovered by Confiscation Orders for drugs-related offences in 2022 to 2023 was £36.9 million, up 8% from the previous financial year, accounting for 21% of Confiscation Order Receipts in 2022 to 2023.

Excluding 2021 to 2022, in the last 6 financial years Confiscation Order Receipts associated with fraud-related offences constituted the highest recovered value compared to other primary offence types, accounting for 44% of the value of Confiscation Orders Receipts since 2017 to 2018.

Confiscation Order Receipts’ Value by agency sector

In 2022 to 2023, Large POCA Agencies contributed £104.3 million in Confiscation Order Receipts, accounting for 58% of the total proceeds of crime recovered from Confiscation Order Receipts this year, up from £64.7 million (accounting for 42%) in the previous financial year. This is attributed to the aforementioned £93.5 million order recovered by the SFO.

Between the financial years ending 2018 to 2021, the value of proceeds of crime recovered from Confiscation Order Receipts processed by Local Police Forces constituted the greatest value compared to other agency sectors. Since 2021 to 2022 Large POCA agencies have processed approximately half (51%) of the total value of Confiscation Order Receipts. This is driven by Large POCA agencies being the predominant agency recovering high value orders (£1+ million).

Local Police Forces contributed to £47.9 million (27%) worth of proceeds of crime recovered from Confiscation Order Receipts in 2022 to 2023, down by 14% compared to the previous financial year. The value of Confiscation Order Receipts recovered by Regional Police Forces has also decreased, down 21% from £14.2 million recovered in 2021 to 2022 to £11.2 million in 2022 to 2023.

Data note on Confiscation Order Receipts

The measure for the volume of Confiscation Orders in which proceeds of crime have been recovered is not reported in this release due to limitations with JARD data. Further information on this is available in the Methodology and Data Quality report.

5. Civil powers

This section provides a summary of the statistics on the value and volume of the proceeds of crime seized and frozen and recovered (forfeited) under the POCA powers for Forfeitures and the value of proceeds of crime recovered under Civil Recovery as follows:

1. The value and volume of proceeds of crime seized and frozen through all Seizure sub-type Forfeiture powers
2. The value and volume of proceeds of crime recovered from Forfeiture Order Receipts and through all Seizure sub-type Forfeiture Order powers
3. The value of proceeds of crime recovered from Civil Recovery Receipts

Forfeiture powers enable the seizure, freezing and forfeiture of cash, monies in relevant accounts or Listed Assets, which is determined to be or to represent property obtained through unlawful conduct or property intended for use by any person in unlawful conduct.

Civil Recovery Orders enable an enforcement authority to recover property which is determined to be or to represent property obtained through unlawful conduct. Applications are made in civil proceedings before the High Court.

This section provides a summary of the statistics on the value of the proceeds of crime recovered under the POCA powers for Civil Recovery Order Receipts. Please note that splits by value and volume have not been provided for Civil Recovery Order Receipts because there is no available data.

5.1 Assets denied by seizures

Value of seizures

In 2022 to 2023, £202.2 million was seized and frozen under all seizure sub-types.

An increase of 2% from the previous financial year. Of these:

• £141.8 million (70%) was from AFOs, compared to £133.1 million (67%) in the previous financial year
• £51.5 million (25%) was from Cash Seizures, compared to £60.3 million (31%) in the previous financial year
• £8.8 million (4%) was from Listed Assets, compared to £4.0 million (2%) in the previous financial year

Since the financial year 2017 to 2018 a total of £1.2 billion of proceeds of crime have been seized and frozen using seizure powers, with AFOs generally being the most prominent sub type since 2018 to 2019.

Figure 8: The value of proceeds of crime seized and frozen under all Seizure sub-types from financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Data presented in Figure 8 shows the value of assets or proceeds of crime seized (cash, Listed Assets) and frozen (Account Freezing Orders) that cannot be accessed by the respondent whilst the investigation is undertaken (subject to exclusions, for example, to carry on any trade, business, profession or occupation). It does not reflect the proceeds of crime which are recovered at the end of the investigation.
2. These powers can only be used where assets or proceeds of crime are worth more than the prescribed minimum amount, currently set at £1,000.

As shown in Figure 8, there was a steep increase in the total proceeds of crime seized and frozen until 2019 to 2020 which reached a peak of £292.7 million. The peak was driven by 28 high value seizures under AFOs seizure sub type worth £168 million, which accounted for 57% of proceeds of crime seized and frozen in 2019 to 2020.

Since that peak in 2019 to 2020, there has been an overall decline in the total value of proceeds of crime seized and frozen, although 2020 to 2021 saw record Cash Seizures (£126.3 million) due to a high value operation that year. Despite the decline since 2019 to 2020, the total amount seized and frozen in 2022 to 2023 reflects a longer-term sustained high value of assets and is 1% higher than the median value for the previous 6 financial years (£199.8 million) and up 280% from £53.3 million seized and frozen in 2017 to 2018.

Seizures by primary offence type

In 2022 to 2023 the value of all seizures associated with Money Laundering related offences was £124.9 million, accounting for 62% of the total value for all seizures, compared to £103.5 million (accounting for 52%) in the previous financial year. Apart from 2019 to 2020, Money Laundering related offences have remained the most prominent primary offence type for all seizure sub-types over the last 6 financial years, accounting for £599.8 million (51%) of the £1.2 billion seized and frozen in the period. This is partly due to recording practices as POCA Agencies often default to recording seizures as money laundering as a catch-all for illicit finances or because the assets relate to a range of criminal conduct.

Drugs related criminal offences and Fraud related criminal offences contributed £28.2 million (14%) and £25.8 million (13%) respectively this year.

Seizures by agency sector

Excluding for 2019 to 2020, Local Police Forces have remained the most prominent agency sector over the last 6 financial years, accounting for £523.1 million (45%) of proceeds of crime seized and frozen over this period. In 2022 to 2023, the value of all Seizures from Local Police Forces was £101.8 million, accounting for 50% of the total value for all Seizures, marginally down from £104.4 million (53%) in the previous financial year.

Performance from Large POCA Agencies was stable compared to the previous year, contributing £66.3 million (33%) to the total value of proceeds of crime seized this year. £28.1 million was seized by Regional Police Forces in 2022 to 2023, an increase of 19% compared to the previous year, accounting for 14% of the total value of proceeds of crime seized in 2022 to 2023.

Volume of seizures

4,100 Seizures were processed in the financial year 2022 to 2023, remaining relatively stable compared to 4,200 processed in the previous financial year but down by 21% from the peak of 5,200 seizures processed in 2020 to 2021.

The Seizure sub-type breakdown of Seizures in the financial year 2022 to 2023 is:

• 2,500 orders (61%) were associated with Cash Seizures, compared to 2,900 orders (69%) in the previous financial year
• 1,400 orders (35%) were associated with AFOs, compared to 1,100 orders (27%) in the previous financial year
• 160 orders (4%) were associated with Listed Asset Orders, compared to 140 orders (3%) in the previous financial year

Figure 9: The volume of proceeds of crime seized under All Seizure Sub-types from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. These powers can only be used where assets or proceeds of crime are worth more than the prescribed minimum amount currently set at £1,000.

As shown in Figure 9, the total number of Seizures increased until 2020 to 2021, hitting a 6-year peak of 5,200 and then declined thereafter. The total number of Seizures in 2022 to 2023 is 6% lower than the median number of total Seizures for the previous 6 financial years (4,300 orders).

Cash Seizures have remained the most prominent Seizure sub-type over the last 6 financial years, however the number of Cash Seizures has been falling consistently since peaking in 2020 to 2021. Conversely, the number of AFOs processed has increased over the same period, up by 13% in 2022 to 2023 compared to 2020 to 2021. AFOs and Listed Assets came into force under the Criminal Finances Act 2017.

Seizures by primary offence type

In 2022 to 2023, 1,700 Seizures were associated with Drugs related offences, accounting for 42% of the total number of Seizures, and an 18% fall from 2,100 (constituting 50%) in the previous year. Drugs related offences have remained the most prominent primary offence type for all Seizures over the last 6 financial years, accounting for 50% of the number of Seizures processed since 2017 to 2018.

1,400 seizures were associated with Money Laundering, accounting for 34% of the total volume of seizures in 2022 to 2023. This is up 16% compared to the previous year. Fraud related offences accounted for 400 seizures (10%) respectively this year, also up by 17% over the same period.

Seizures by agency sector

In 2022 to 2023, 2,700 Seizures (67%) were associated with Local Police Forces, compared to 3,000 (71%) in the previous financial year. Although there has been a gradual fall in the volume of Local Police Forces seizures in the last 3 years, driven by a 37% fall in Cash Seizures, they have remained the most prominent agency sector over the last 6 years, accounting for 72% of all Seizures in that period.

Large POCA Agencies and Regional Police Forces accounted for 670 Seizures (16%) and 480 Seizures (12%) respectively.

5.2 Assets Recovered by Forfeiture Order Receipts

Value of Forfeiture Order Receipts

In 2022 to 2023, £97.2 million was recovered under Forfeiture Orders.

A decrease of 50% from £194.4 million in 2021 to 2022.

Of these:

• £47.9 million (49%) was from Cash Seizures, compared to £76.5 million (39%) in the previous financial year; the reduced performance is due to an absence of high value (£1+ million) cash forfeitures with zero orders in excess of £1.0 million recovered in 2022 to 2023, compared to 4 high value cash forfeiture orders worth a combined total of £6.6 million recovered in the previous year; the decline in the value of proceeds of crime recovered via cash forfeitures is also attributed to a 17% fall in the number of cash forfeiture orders granted compared to the previous year
• £48.4 million (50%) was from AFOs compared to £116.5 million (60%) in the previous financial year
• £0.9 million (1%) was from Listed Assets, remaining unchanged proportion wise compared to £1.3 million (1%) in the previous financial year

Since 2017 to 2018 a total of £574.4 million has been recovered using Forfeiture powers. This has mostly been driven by Cash Seizures, although AFOs have surpassed Cash Seizures since 2021 to 2022.

Figure 10: The value of Forfeiture Order Receipts (total and sub-types) from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Data presented Figure 10 shows the proceeds of crime recovered at the end of an investigation from the respondent. It includes proceeds of crime recovered on any outstanding Forfeiture Order which means proceeds recovered could be linked to a seizure from a previous financial year.
2. These powers can only be used where assets or proceeds of crime are worth more than the prescribed minimum amount currently set at £1,000.
3. Note that the total sum for Forfeiture Order Receipts by sub-type includes seizures where the sub-type was not recorded or specified on JARD.

As shown in Figure 10, there was an overall steady increase in the value of Forfeiture Orders Receipts over the last 6 financial years, reaching an exceptional peak in 2021 to 2022. This peak was driven by 17 high value (£1+ million) Cash forfeiture and Account Freezing forfeiture Orders worth £96.5 million in 2021 to 2022. In 2022 to 2023, the value recovered under Forfeiture Orders halved since the previous year. Despite this, the amount recovered under Forfeiture Orders in 2022 to 2023 remains historically high and is 15% higher than the median value for the previous 6 financial years (£84.3 million).

Forfeiture Order Receipts by primary offence type

In 2022 to 2023, Forfeiture Order Receipts associated with Money Laundering related offences were £52.2 million, accounting for 54% of total Forfeiture Order Receipts, compared to £113.7 million (58%) in the previous financial year. This is down 54% compared to the previous year. Drugs related offences contributed £22.3 million (23%) to the total value of proceeds of crime recovered from forfeiture orders in 2022 to 2023. This is down 22% from the previous year. Fraud related offences are also down, by 7%, contributing £13.7 million (14%) this year.

Money Laundering related offences have remained the most prominent primary offence type for Forfeiture Orders Receipts over the last 6 financial years, accounting for £340.1 million (59%) of the £574.4 million total value of Forfeiture Orders Receipts over the 6-year period. This is partly due to recording practices as POCA Agencies often default to recording orders as money laundering as a catch all for illicit finances or because the assets relate to a range of criminal conduct.

Forfeiture Order Receipts’ value by agency sector

In 2022 to 2023, Forfeiture Order Receipts from Local Police Forces was £53.8 million, accounting for 55% of total Forfeiture Order Receipts compared to £101.9 million (52%) in the previous financial year. Since 2020 to 2021, Local Police Forces have been the most prominent agency sector, accounting for almost half (49%) of proceeds of crime recovered from Forfeiture Orders over the last 6 financial years.

Large POCA Agencies and Regional Police Forces contributed £28.9 million (30%) and £11.2 million (11%) respectively.

Volume of Forfeiture Orders

3,500 Forfeiture Orders were recovered in the financial year 2022 to 2023.

Representing a decrease of 9% from 3,800 in 2021 to 2022.

Of these:

• 2,600 orders (74%) were Cash Seizures, compared to 3,100 orders (81%) in the previous financial year
• 820 orders (24%) were AFOs, compared to 650 orders (17%) in the previous financial year
• 70 orders (2%) were Listed Asset Orders, compared to 50 orders (1%) in the previous financial year

Figure 11: The volumes of Forfeiture Order Receipts by sub-types from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Data presented Figure 11 shows the proceeds of crime recovered at the end of an investigation from the respondent. It includes proceeds of crime recovered on any outstanding Forfeiture Order which means proceeds recovered could be linked to a seizure from a previous financial year.
2. These powers can only be used where assets or proceeds of crime are worth more than the prescribed minimum amount currently set at £1,000.
3. Note that the total sum for Forfeiture Order Receipts by sub-type includes seizures where the sub-type was not recorded or specified on JARD.

As Figure 11 shows, there has been a general increase in the number of Forfeiture Orders over the last 6 financial years, with some fluctuation within that period. Orders in 2022 to 2023 were down 9% from the previous financial year, when orders peaked at 3,800, but are 10% higher than the median number of orders for the previous 6 financial years (3,100 orders).

Cash Seizures have remained the most prominent Forfeiture Order sub-type over the last 6 financial years. However, compared to the previous year, the number of cash forfeitures orders granted have fallen 17%, and sit 6% below the median number of Cash Forfeiture Orders for the previous 6 financial years (2,700). Conversely, there has been exponential growth in the number of Account Freezing Forfeiture Orders, increasing by 25% compared to the previous financial year and up 62% from the median number of Account Freezing Forfeiture Orders for the previous 6 financial years (510).

Forfeiture Orders by primary offence type

In 2022 to 2023, 1,900 Forfeiture Orders were associated with Drugs related offences, accounting for 54% of total Seizures, compared to 2,200 Orders (58%) in the previous financial year. Money Laundering related offences and Other related offences accounted for 840 orders (24%) and 310 orders (9%) respectively this year.

Drugs related offences are the most prominent primary offence type for Forfeiture Orders over the last 6 financial years, accounting for over half (54%) of forfeiture orders since 2017 to 2018.

Forfeiture Orders by agency sector

In 2022 to 2023, 2,600 Forfeiture Orders (77%) were associated with Local Police Forces, remaining unchanged proportion-wise from the previous year. Of these, 2,100 were Cash forfeiture orders, down 16% from 2021 to 2022. Conversely, the number of bank account forfeiture orders by the police is at a 6-year record of 520, up 36% from the previous year. Local Police Forces have remained the most prominent agency sector over the last 6 financial years, accounting for 74% of forfeiture orders since 2017 to 2018.

Large POCA Agencies and Regional Police Forces accounted for 420 Forfeiture Orders (12%) and 310 Forfeiture Orders (9%) respectively this year.

5.3 Civil Recovery Powers

Civil Recovery Powers enable an enforcement authority to recover property which is determined to be or to represent property obtained through unlawful conduct. Applications are made in civil proceedings before the High Court. This section provides a summary of the statistics on the number and value of Unexplained Wealth Orders (UWO) and the value recovered from Civil Recovery Order Receipts.

Further information on the legislative background and the civil system process for proceeds of crime under POCA, including Civil Recovery Order Receipts, can be found in the Background Information Note.

Civil Recovery investigative tools

An Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) is an investigative tool which can be granted to specific law enforcement agencies in respect of individuals or companies suspected of being involved in or having links with serious crime or against Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) from outside the European Economic Area. An Interim Freezing Order can also be applied for alongside a UWO to prevent property being dissipated during the proceedings.

An UWO is an investigative power and not all proceeds of crime recovered by Civil Recovery Receipts will have been subject to an UWO earlier in the process. Users should be cautious when making comparisons between the data reported for UWOs and Civil Recovery Receipts for this reason.

Further information on the legislative background and the civil system process for proceeds of crime under POCA, including UWOs, can be found in the Background Information Note.

Data presented on UWOs was provided by the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) in April 2023 for the financial year ending March 2023.There has been zero UWOs obtained in 2022 to 2023.

The Home Office Annual Unexplained Wealth Order Report is a statutory requirement under the Economic Crime (Transparency and Enforcement) Act 2022 to report annually on the number of UWOs obtained for an applied each year. The report will be published separately to the Annual Statistical bulletin every September.

Assets recovered by Civil Recovery Order Receipts

Data presented on Civil Recovery Orders Receipts is provided by the National Crime Agency (NCA). These statistics are considered as experimental due to the quality of the administrative dataset which has been used in their production. For further information on Experimental Statistics and data quality issues please refer to the accompanying Methodology and Data Quality Report.

£62.9 million was recovered under Civil Recovery Orders in the financial year 2022 to 2023.

An increase of 544% from £9.8 million in the previous financial year.

Figure 12: The value of proceeds of crime recovered through Civil Recovery Order Receipts from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: NCA

Notes:

1. Data presented in Figure 12 shows the proceeds of crime recovered from any Civil Recovery Orders. These amounts can include receipts linked to orders made in a previous financial year.
2. Data was not provided prior to the financial year 2016 to 2017 due to the lack of data being available on the administrative database.

As shown in Figure 12, the value of Civil Recovery Orders over the last 6 financial years remained relatively unchanged until 2021 to 2022, but hit an exceptional peak in 2022 to 2023, 573.6% greater than the median value for the previous 6 financial years (£9.3 million).

This is explained by one high value operation processed by an NCA obtained Civil Recovery Order with a value of £53.9 million linked to the recovery of accounts held by one bank that had been suspended due to suspected fraud.

6. Compensation to victims

In 2022 to 2023, £15.5 million was paid to victims in compensation from proceeds of crime recovered through Confiscation Order Receipts. A 32% decrease from the previous financial year, and a 42% decrease from the median for the previous 6 financial years (£26.7 million).

Figure 13: Total compensation paid to victims from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until the financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. A court imposing a Confiscation Order can also order an offender to pay compensation to the victim of their crime. If the offender does not have the means to satisfy both their Confiscation Order and Compensation Order, the court can order that Compensation Order to be payable from the sums recovered as part of the Confiscation Order.
2. Data in Figure 13 captures the total amount paid out to all victims as compensation (from confiscation) from the financial year 2017 to 2018 to the financial year 2022 to 2023.

As shown in Figure 13, there has been a gradual decline in the value of total compensation paid to victims since 2018 to 2019 with the total compensation paid to victims falling from its highest peak of £36.9 million in 2018 to 2019 at £36.9 million to its lowest amount of £15.5 million in 2022 to 2023. The peak in 2018 to 2019 and low in 2020 to 2021 mirror wider trends associated with overall Confiscation Order Receipts in those respective years.

However, as seen in 2022 to 2023, the value of compensation paid to victims does not always reflect the overall proceeds of crime recovered from Confiscation Order Receipts within the financial year. Compensation is only payable to the victim from Confiscation Order Receipts when the court considers that the offender does not have the means to satisfy both their Confiscation Order and Compensation Order and accordingly, the latter should be paid out of confiscated funds.

Compensation by primary offence type

Of the £15.5 million paid in compensation in 2022 to 2023:

• £10.9 million (70%) were associated with Fraud related offences
• £2.4 million (15%) were associated with Theft related offences
• £1.2 million (8%) were associated with Money Laundering related offences
• the remaining £1.0 million (7%) were associated with Drugs, Modern Slavery and Other offences

Fraud related offences have remained the most prominent primary offence type for Compensation over the last 6 financial years, accounting for 67% of Compensation processed since 2017 to 2018.

Compensation by agency sector

Of the £15.5 million paid in compensation in 2022 to 2023:

• £10.3 million (66%) were associated with Confiscation Orders processed by Local Police Forces
• £2.2 million (14%) were associated with Confiscation Orders processed by Large POCA Agencies
• £1.6 million (10%) were associated with Confiscation Orders processed by Regional Police Forces
• £1.3 million (8%) were associated with Confiscation Orders processed by Small-medium POCA Agencies

Local Police Forces have paid the largest amount of victim compensation from Confiscation Order Receipts compared to other agency sectors over the last 6 financial years, accounting for 67% of compensation paid through Confiscation Order Receipts since 2017 to 2018.

7. Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS)

The ARIS was introduced in 2006 to allow a proportion of the proceeds of crime recovered under POCA to be redistributed to agencies involved in the asset recovery process. The Home Office encourages agencies to invest ARIS funds to drive up performance on asset recovery or, where appropriate, to fund local crime fighting priorities for the benefit of the community.

7.1 ARIS allocations distributed to POCA Agencies

Data presented on the ARIS Allocations is provided by a Home Office administrative database.

£117.9 million of ARIS funding was distributed to POCA Agencies in the financial year 2022 to 2023.

A 17% decrease from 2021 to 2022, which is mirrored by the overall decrease in the proceeds of crime recovered in the same period. The data presented shows that ARIS Allocations to POCA Agencies has increased by 53% over the 6-year reporting period, up from £76.8 million allocated in 2017 to 2018.

Figure 14: ARIS Allocations distributed to POCA Agencies from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: Home Office

Notes:

1. Due to the process for calculating, assuring and distributing funds, ARIS Allocations are distributed a quarter in arrears with the final quarterly payment made in the following financial year.
2. Data presented in Figure 14 shows the distribution of ARIS Allocations based on administrative data managed by the Home Office.

There was steady growth in the overall amount of ARIS allocated between 2017 to 2018 to 2020 to 2021, followed by a significant increase of 60% in 2021 to 2022 which mirrors the overall increase in the proceeds of crime recovered in the same period. ARIS funding allocated to POCA agencies in 2022 to 2023 is down 17% compared to the exceptional amount allocated in 2021 to 2022 but is up 33% compared to the median amount allocated for the previous 6 financial years.

Since 2017 to 2018, Local Police Forces have received more in ARIS allocations than any other agency sector, accounting for 34% ARIS allocations over the last 6 financial years. In 2022 to 2023, the amount of ARIS allocated to Local Police Forces was £48.8 million, accounting for 41% of the total amount of ARIS distributed to all POCA Agencies. Large POCA Agencies and Small to medium POCA Agencies received £41.8 million (35%) and £21.8 million (19%) respectively.

Real terms comparison

The overall upward trend, peaking in 2021 to 2022, for the total ARIS funds allocated to POCA agencies over the previous 6 years is also reflected when adjusted for current prices. Since 2017 to 2018, the total ARIS funding distributed to POCA Agencies have increased by 31% from £92.5 million to £120.9 million in 2022 to 2023, reflecting the rise in proceeds of crime recovered over the period.

When adjusted for inflation, the fall in ARIS allocations in 2022 to 2023 compared to the previous financial year is exacerbated, down 22%. Further detail on real term figures can be found in Table 10 of the Asset Recovery Statistics, financial years ending 2018 to 2023: Data Tables accompanying this bulletin.

7.2 Use of Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS) Funds

Data presented on the Use of ARIS Funds is taken from a survey managed by Home Office. These statistics are considered as experimental due to the quality of the survey which has been used in their production. For further information on Experimental Statistics and known data quality issues with the various data sources used in the bulletin please refer to the accompanying Methodology and Data Quality Report.

This section presents statistics based on the survey returns submitted by POCA Agencies covering the financial year 2017 to 2018 to financial year 2021 to 2022. Please note the statistics reported below do not represent how the total ARIS Allocations distributed are spent by POCA agencies. The survey findings are based on returns from 20% of Agencies that had previously received ARIS funds.

For this year’s reporting we have revised the way in which we calculate the response rate making it incomparable to previous years. Further details on changes to the response rate can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality report.

Statistics for the financial year 2022 to 2023 will be included in the next statistical release.

Figure 15: Use of ARIS funds by POCA Agencies in receipt of ARIS funding on Asset Recovery work, Crime reduction projects, Community projects and Miscellaneous projects provided by survey returns from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2021 to 2022, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: Home Office

Notes:

1. Data presented in Figure 15 shows the use of ARIS funds based on survey returns submitted by POCA partners to the Home Office. It does not provide figures on the total of ARIS funds distributed within each financial year.
2. The Miscellaneous category refers to any funds received from ARIS that have been allocated for purposes which fall outside of the other 3 categories presented.
3. Note the reporting for this year has been modified to clearly indicate that the figures represent expenditure in a given year and may not necessarily correspond to the year in which the ARIS allocation was made. More detail on this change can be found in the methodology.

For 2021 to 2022, 71% of ARIS spend reported in the survey was invested in asset recovery projects (£15.4 million), compared to 75% in 2020 to 2021. As shown in figure 15, the proportion of ARIS spending on asset recovery projects has remained stable following a fall in 2019 to 2020. It is important to note that these trends may not be mirrored amongst the use of ARIS spend that went unreported.

The survey returns show that the proportion of spend invested in crime reduction projects has gradually increased over the last 6 years, up from 5% in 2017 to 2018 to 15% in 2021 to 2022. Similarly, in 2021 to 2022, 8% of ARIS spend reported in the survey was invested in community projects (£1.8 million) compared to 3% in 2020 to 2021.

The survey returns also show that 5% of ARIS spend was on Miscellaneous projects in 2021 to 2022 (£1.2 million), a decrease from 15% in 2020 to 2021.

7.3 ARIS Top Slice

The ARIS Top Slice is a competed grant launched in 2015, available to all POCA empowered agencies, to support investment in key national and regional capabilities or to test innovative new approaches to improve asset recovery processes and performance. The funds for the grant come from a small deduction from ARIS receipts prior to their distribution to POCA agencies and the Home Office. Decisions on funding allocations are made by Ministers from the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office.

ARIS Top Slice statistics

These statistics are considered as experimental due to the quality of the administrative dataset which has been used in their production. For further information on Experimental Statistics and data quality please refer to the accompanying Methodology and Data Quality Report.

In 2022 to 2023, Ministers agreed a Top Slice budget of £13.9 million. Seventeen projects were awarded funding using the Top Slice budget in 2022 to 2023. High value funding (£1+ million) was granted to the following projects:

• £3.8 million allocated to 4 projects lead by the NCA, including £2.6 million to maintain the Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD) and helpdesk
• £2.0 million for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to coordinate and deliver Asset Confiscation Enforcement teams in each Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU)
• £1.8 million to deliver a co-ordinated multi-agency cell to tackle illicit assets at the Border, led by Home Office
• £1.2 million for a joint civil project lead by CPS and NPCC to increase use of civil recovery powers
• £1.0 million to develop cash seizure intelligence for local enforcement agencies, led by the NCA
• £1.0 million to fund a legal team to revisit defendants who have not paid their full criminal benefit from their original confiscation order, led by CPS

In addition, £470,000 was collectively identified in underspends from various Top Slice projects. To utilise this underspend, funds were reallocated to other projects. This reallocated amount uplifted an existing 2 projects and funded one additional project, bringing the total amount of Top Slice projects for 2022 to 2023 to 18.

Further detail on the projects that were awarded funding for 2022 to 2023 and the amount awarded can be found in Annex D

8. Annexes

8.1 Annex A: Main Changes and Additions to the Bulletin

There have been some changes in the methodology for this statistical release which concern:

• the location of jurisdiction for cases under Forfeiture Orders
• the use of ARIS survey response rate

From September 2023, the statistical release has implemented the use of the ‘Case Jurisdiction’ variable to record the location of jurisdiction for cases under Forfeiture Orders where no ‘Jurisdiction of Court Making Order’ is recorded. This approach that has been approved with operational partners. Further information on these statistics can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality Report under the section for JARD Data.

From September 2023, the methodology used to calculate the Use of ARIS survey response rate has been revised. The Use of ARIS survey response rate is now calculated based on the proportion of POCA Agencies that received ARIS allocations in the years up to and including the financial year questioned in the survey. Users must use caution when making comparisons in the Use of ARIS spends reported in previous years due to changes in the methodology.

As a result of the above-mentioned changes, there will be differences in figures reported in this release to those previously released. We will not retrospectively update the statistics provided previous releases. Further details of these changes and previous methodological changes can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality Report.

New Additions to the September 2023 edition of the Bulletin

Real values that is, adjusted for inflation to current prices have been included in this release for the first time for the following sections: Main Headlines, Use of ARIS Funds and ARIS Allocations. These statistics have been included to reflect changes in the wider economy that affect the value of money which can be invested into the system by POCA agencies.

Experimental statistics on the allocation of ARIS Top Slice finding for financial year 2022 to 2023 have been included in this release for the first time. These statistics have been included to increase transparency on the use of the ARIS Top Slice budget.

Experimental statistics on the value of assets restrained, seized, frozen, recovered and returned from international grand corruption cases for financial year 2022 to 2023 have been included in this release. Please note, the statistics presented on grand corruption has been requested from agencies in a reporting exercise conducted by the Home Office. The statistics presented will only represent those agencies which have provided a return for this reporting exercise and not necessarily the entire group of agencies that process grand corruption cases.

Further information on new additions to the September 2023 edition of the bulletin can be found in the Methodology and Data Quality Report.

8.2 Annex B: Modern Slavery data

Modern Slavery data is published as a distinct subset of data, where the main related criminal offence type is Modern Slavery. It has been provided to support the Modern Slavery Annual Report released in November 2021.

Value of Assets Restrained and Recovered

£1.1 million of modern slavery related proceeds of crime were recovered from Confiscation Orders and Forfeiture Orders in 2022 to 2023.

Of these:

• £0.8 million was recovered from Confiscation Orders Receipts in 2022 to 2023, a 131% increase from £0.4 million in the previous financial year
• £0.3 million was recovered from Forfeiture Orders Receipts in 2022 to 2023, a 74% decrease from £1.1 million in the previous financial year

The amount of modern slavery related proceeds of crime recovered has remained relatively stable over the last 6 years and 2022 to 2023 saw a return to the typical trend of Confiscation Order Receipts being the main source of recoveries.

£3.6 million was restrained from Restraint Orders in 2022 to 2023, a 246% increase from £1.0 million in the previous financial year, driven by one high value order (£1+ million) that made up 85% of the total amount of modern slavery related Restraint Orders that year.

The figures show an upturn in performance of modern slavery related Restraint Orders in the last 2 years, however, that is set against a longer-term downward trend since the £6.1 million peak in 2017 to 2018, a year which saw the highest recorded number of Restraint Orders associated with modern slavery and a high value order (£1+ million) that made up nearly half the value of those orders that year in 2017 to 2018.

Figure 16: The value of proceeds of crime restrained and recovered through Restraint Orders, Confiscation Orders and Forfeitures Receipts where the main related criminal offence type is Modern Slavery from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

Notes:

1. Data presented in Figure 16 shows the value of proceeds of crime recovered (Confiscation Orders and Forfeiture Orders) and restrained (Restraint Orders).
2. Confiscation Order Receipts include payments received from the defendant on any outstanding Confiscation Orders which means it can include payments linked to a Confiscation Order Imposition in the current financial year and previous ones.
3. Forfeiture Order Receipts include the proceeds of crime recovered at the end of an investigation from the respondent. It includes proceeds of crime recovered on any outstanding Forfeiture Order which means proceeds recovered could be linked to a seizure from a previous financial year.
4. Restraint Orders include the proceeds of crime that are restrained and cannot be accessed by the defendant whilst confiscation proceedings and enforcement are ongoing. Restraint is an optional power and not all proceeds of crime recovered at the end of the criminal proceedings will have been subject to a Restraint Order earlier in the process.

Volume of Assets Restrained and Recovered

In 2022 to 2023, there were 28 Forfeiture Orders granted for crimes related to modern slavery, a 15% decrease compared to the previous financial year where there were 33 Orders. The number of Restraint Orders have also decreased from 11 in the previous year to less than 10 in 2022 to 2023.

Figure 17: The volume of proceeds of crime restrained and recovered through Restraint Orders and Forfeiture Orders Receipts where the offence is Modern Slavery from the financial year 2017 to 2018 until financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: JARD

As Figure 17 shows, the number of Forfeiture Orders for cases related to modern slavery has fluctuated over the last 6 financial years whilst the number of Restraint Orders have declined consistently since financial year 2017 to 2018.

8.3 Annex C: International Asset Recovery

Data are provided by a Home Office administrative database. These statistics are badged as experimental due to the quality of the administrative datasets which have been used to produce them. Supporting information on known data quality issues with the various data sources used in the bulletin for Experimental Statistics are outlined in the Methodology and Data Quality report.

International cooperation

This section sets out the value and the volume of proceeds of crime recovered from asset recovery orders that are:

• executed in England and Wales, or Northern Ireland following the receipt of a mutual legal assistance request from another country
• executed abroad following the receipt of a mutual legal assistance from England and Wales, and Northern Ireland

In this document, we have defined this as “International Cooperation”. International Cooperation executed in England and Wales, or Northern Ireland is a subset of the Asset Recovery statistics outlined in previous chapters.

The UK engages in asset sharing, which is the division of the funds recovered using asset recovery powers between countries, as a recognition of the joint efforts to recover assets and to encourage further co-operation.

The sharing of confiscated assets is an administrative process between the Home Office and the Government of the requesting or requested country or territory. The usual proportion that is shared is 50:50; however, under certain circumstances the UK may decide to negotiate different proportions, for example, if there are victims involved.

Figure 18: The total value of proceeds of crime recovered as a result of International Cooperation between the financial year 2019 to 2020 to financial year 2022 to 2023, in England and Wales and Northern Ireland

Source: Home Office

Notes:

1. Figures presented for “Total value of proceeds of crime recovered” show the full value of proceeds of crime recovered as a result of International Cooperation. The “Value of proceeds of crime shared with UK government” represents the value of proceeds of crime recovered which are retained by the UK government.

In the financial year 2022 to 2023, a total of £3.9 million was recovered through International Cooperation.

An increase of 31% compared to £3.0 million in 2021 to 2022, which has resulted in a 49% increase in the value of money shared with the UK. The value of proceeds of crime retained by the UK government in 2022 to 2023 was £1.1 million accounting for 28% of the total proceeds of crime recovered through International Cooperation. This is due to one high value case (£1+ million) processed in 2022 to 2023 in which 100% of the recovered funds were paid to overseas victims in Switzerland, above the usual shared proportion of 50%.

Operational agencies in England and Wales and Northern Ireland have cooperated with the following countries and territories over the relevant 4-year time period: Belgium, Cayman Islands, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Guernsey, Italy, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, Spain, Switzerland and the United States of America.

Grand corruption

These statistics are experimental. The data presented is taken from administrative databases which are managed by the Home Office, supplemented with data requested from agencies in a reporting exercise conducted by the Home Office. The statistics presented will only represent those agencies which have provided a return for this reporting exercise and not necessarily the entire group of agencies who engage in this work. Supporting information on known data quality issues with the various data sources used in the bulletin for Experimental Statistics are outlined in the Methodology and Data Quality report.

This section sets out, for the financial year 2022 to 2023, the value of:

• proceeds of grand corruption restrained, seized or frozen
• value of proceeds of grand corruption recovered
• value of proceeds of grand corruption returned to foreign government following UK law enforcement action

Including, International grand corruption cases that are:

• executed in England and Wales, or Northern Ireland
• executed abroad following receipt of a mutual legal assistance from England and Wales, and Northern Ireland

The proceeds of grand corruption obtained by POCA orders executed in England and Wales, or Northern Ireland is a subset of the Asset Denial and Asset Recovered statistics outlined in previous chapters.

Grand corruption is often defined as acts of corruption involving the misuse or abuse of high-level entrusted power by senior public officials as defined by reference to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC). Grand corruption threatens political stability and sustainable development. Acts that might fall into this category include bribery of public or private officials, embezzlement, illicit enrichment, abuse of function or the laundering of the proceeds of crime.

Table 1: The value of proceeds of grand corruption denied, recovered and returned to foreign states

Financial year	Total value of proceeds of crime restrained, seized or frozen	Total value of proceeds of crime recovered	Total proceeds of crime returned to foreign government
2022 to 2023	£275,015,000	£95,397,067	£210,610

Source: Home Office, NCA, SFO and CPS

Notes:

1. The value of proceeds of crime restrained, seized or frozen is based on the estimated order value (Restraint orders), finalised order amount (AFOs, Cash Seizures and Listed Assets), and estimated value of assets (prohibition orders).
2. The value of proceeds of crime recovered is based on the total proceeds of crime recovered from Forfeiture Orders, Confiscation Orders and Civil Recovery Order Receipts.
3. The value of proceeds of crime returned to foreign government is based on the total amount transferred to the foreign state and presented in the financial year the funds were transferred.
4. A substantial proportion of the proceeds of crime returned to foreign government will relate to proceeds of crime restrained, seized or frozen in previous financial years. Proceeds of crime that were restrained or seized may be subsequently released or returned to the individual if their legitimacy is subsequently proven.

In 2022 to 2023, the total value of the proceeds of grand corruption restrained, seized or frozen was £275.0 million. This was mostly driven by Prohibition Orders, with £238.4 million frozen by several orders processed by the NCA and CPS during this period.

A Prohibition Order can be granted in relation to relevant property in England and Wales or Northern Ireland which is the subject of an external request. Further information on the legislative background and system process for proceeds of crime under POCA can be found in the Background Information Note.

In April 2022, a Prohibition Order processed by the NCA for £228 million was granted by the High Court acting under a request from the US Department of Justice (DOJ), who are pursuing assets which are suspected to be or represent the proceeds of the multi-billion Malaysian Development Board (1MDB) fraud against the Malaysian Government.

The total value of the proceeds of grand corruption recovered in 2022 to 2023 was £95.4 million. This includes:

• £93.5 million recovered from a Confiscation Order obtained by the SFO, the largest Confiscation Order recorded within this statistical series

• £1.2 million secured from a Civil Recovery order following an investigation carried out by the SFO in 2020

• £0.7 million recovered from several cases processed by NCA’s International Corruption Unit in 2022 to 2023

Asset return

Asset return refers to the process by which the proceeds of corruption are returned to their prior legitimate owner or to compensate the victims of the crime. The UK, as a signatory to the UN Convention Against Corruption is obligated to return funds where the conditions for mandatory return are met; however, the UK also exercises its discretion to return funds in appropriate cases when it is not otherwise mandated (in line with Article 57(3)(c) of the Convention). The UK’s process for returning assets is set out in the UK’s Framework for transparent and accountable asset return

The total value of the proceeds of crime returned to foreign government via Home Office in 2022 to 2023 was £0.2 million.

This compensation was paid out under the terms of a Deferred Prosecution Agreement agreed between AMEC Foster Wheeler Energy Limited and the SFO on 1 July 2021 (the “Deferred Prosecution Agreement”). The Federal Government of Nigeria was granted compensation as part of the Deferred Prosecution Agreement, which noted that the compensation “shall be deployed for the benefit of the citizens of Nigeria in a manner that is accountable and transparent”. The Home Office agreed a Memorandum of Understanding between the UK and the Federal Government of Nigeria to meet this requirement. Details on the transfer, including how the funds will be spent, are set out in an Memorandum of Understanding signed by the UK and Nigeria in February 2022.

Notes:

1. The Deferred Prosecution Agreement and MOU were agreed in financial year 2021 to 2022, however the funds were not returned to Nigeria until June 2022.

For asset returns where the proceeds of crime, have been agreed to be returned in principle but are yet to be transferred, see the following cases:

• £65,622 will be returned to Kuwait following the recovery of proceeds of crime by the Metropolitan Police Service in 2020 to 2021

• £1,198,425 will be returned to Brazil following an investigation carried out by the SFO in 2020

Users should note figures presented for proceeds of grand corruption restrained, seized and frozen relate to ongoing investigations which means no further information can be shared. These cases have been identified at an early stage in the process as cases where agencies intelligence suspects assets derive from grand corruption cases involving foreign states.

8.4 Annex D: ARIS Top Slice data

Table 2: The value of funding awarded to projects via ARIS Top Slice in 2022 to 2023

Project Name	Lead Agency	Description	Funding Amount
Joint Asset Recovery Database (JARD)	NCA	Upkeep of the JARD system and helpdesk.	£2,600,000
Asset Recovery Reform IT Transformation	Home Office	To scope the build of a new asset recovery IT system to replace JARD.	£519,000
Reconsideration Project Team	CPS	Dedicated legal team to revisit defendants who have not paid their full criminal benefit from their original confiscation order.	£1,000,000
Joint Civil Recovery Project	CPS and NPCC	Civil recovery investigators and legal support to increase use of civil recovery powers.	£1,200,000
Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART) Lawyers	CPS	Funding for lawyers and support staff embedded within regional organised crime units to lead the regional response to serious organised crime.	£800,000
Asset Confiscation Enforcement (ACE) Teams	NPCC	Coordination and delivery of ACE teams in each regional organised crime unit.	£2,000,000
Asset Denial Project	NCA	Provision of time-critical, actionable cash seizure intelligence for local enforcement agencies.	£1,000,000
Multi-Agency Border Cash Cell	Border Force	Delivery of a co-ordinated multi-agency cell to tackle illicit cash (and other assets) at the Border.	£1,800,000
Not Disclosable	Not Disclosable	Advance understanding of processes and mechanisms used by criminals to evade law enforcement.	£306,000
Asset Denial in the Waste Sector	BTP	Build a core capability to develop intelligence and asset denial opportunities, develop and share greater intelligence and understanding of economic crime within the waste sector.	£222,000
Cybercrime Programme Cryptocurrency Capability	NPCC	Provide the NPCC Cybercrime Programme capability and frontline support (training, software and advise).	£750,000
Crypto Capability	NCA	Provide strategic direction and operational support on crypto to other enforcement agencies and Law Enforcement (LE) partners.	£110,000
Cryptocurrency Team	MPS	Pilot for a dedicated cryptocurrency team model within the economic crime structure.	£680,000
Economic Crime and Crypto CHIS (Covert Human Intelligence Source) Dedicated Unit	MPS	Piloting new CHIS unit approach, recruiting and managing CHIS in economic crime intelligence operations.	£320,000
Public-Private Approach to the Enforcement of Confiscation Orders	HMCTS	Funding to examine and explore a public-private joint approach to the enforcement of confiscation orders.	£400,000
Project Mariner	NPCC	To establish a network of officers/staff to liaise with prisoners and identify those with outstanding confiscation orders and to help fulfil.	£93,000
PoCC (Proceeds of Crime Centre) Reform	NCA	Enhance Financial Investigators Support System (FISS) capability particularly to support more digital delivery.	£100,000
All projects	All Agencies	Total	£13,900,000

Below is a breakdown of projects that were uplifted/added to ARIS Top Slice funding in 2022 to 2023, to utilise underspends from other areas. These were agreed by the Home Office, Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Office prior to reallocation:

Table 3: The value of funding reallocated to projects via ARIS Top Slice in 2022 to 2023

Project Name	Lead Agency	Description	Funding Amount
Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART) Lawyers	CPS	An uplift of funding to meet the initial bid request from CPS, which reflects the full running cost of the project.	£60,000
Reconsideration Project Team	CPS	An uplift of funding to meet the initial bid request from CPS, which reflects the full running cost of the project.	£110,000
Consultancy Planning	NPCC	Consultancy work to help design the coordination of Economic Crime and Fraud functions within CoLP and the NPCC Economic Crime EC portfolio.	£300,000
All Projects	All Agencies	Total	£470,000

9. About these Statistics

Future releases of this statistical publication are pre-announced on the statistics release calendar on the GOV.UK website. The accompanying Methodology and Quality Data Report provides information on the different data sources used and the processes for this statistical release, as well as other statistical information about the Bulletin.

Tables and Data

An ods spreadsheet download for all Tables, which provide 6 year time-series data for each POCA Power, ARIS allocations, data collected by the Home Office on the use of ARIS and proceeds of crime from international cooperation.

Feedback

Home Office is keen to receive feedback on its statistical publications to maintain their relevance for users.

Any feedback should be directed to the Asset Recovery Performance team through email: POCAPerformance@homeoffice.gov.uk

Press enquiries for this release should be directed to pressoffice@homeoffice.gov.uk or alternatively by telephone at 020 7035 3535.

Other enquiries on these statistics should be directed by email to: CriminalFinancesandAssetRecoveryUnit@homeoffice.gov.uk

Lead Statistician: Lucy Swinnerton