Criminals' cash to worthy causes
North Yorkshire secured its highest-ever confiscation
order and had great pleasure in donating money from
a £24,000 pot of cash seized from criminals under the
Proceeds of Crime Act to charities and worthy causes

North Yorkshire Police
secured its highest-ever confiscation
order after a
convicted drug dealer was
ordered to repay £354,500
of his illegally-earned cash.
Detective Inspector Ian Wills
said: “This is a major success
for North Yorkshire Police, not
only in securing the conviction of
a man who orchestrated a large
drug-dealing operation, but it
also demonstrates that we have
the capacity and capability to
vigorously pursue and confiscate
those assets obtained through
criminality.
“It sends a very clear message
to the criminal world that not only
will they face the full force of the
law, but we will use the Proceeds
of Crime Act to its full potential to
hit them where it hurts the most,
their pocket.”
The “Why should they?” campaign
supports the Proceeds of
Crime Act and encourages members
of the public to pass information
to Crimestoppers about
people they suspect of living off
illegal earnings.
It asks the question: “Criminals
are living at the expense of lawabiding
members of the public –
why should they?” Since April
2010, the North Yorkshire Police
Financial Investigation Unit has
seized more than £600,000 of
cash and assets from criminals.
In May this year, North Yorkshire
Police and the Local Criminal
Justice Board offered cash
from a £24,000 pot of cash
seized from criminals to local
community groups and charities
across North Yorkshire.
Over 200 applications were
received and the money was
divided between two good causes
in each of the seven districts of
North Yorkshire.
Young children and their families
benefited from the first chunk
of criminals’ cash when £1,650
was donated to the Harrogate
and Knaresborough Toy Library
for the purchase of books, jigsaws,
story sacks, activity packs
and toys in dual languages.
School sport benefits
Over 1,000 school children
across Ryedale are set to benefit
from specialist sports equipment
paid for by cash seized from
criminals. A cheque for £1,949.98 was
presented to Ryedale School
Sport Co-ordinator Programme
by Detective Inspector Ian Wills,
who heads North Yorkshire’s Financial
Investigation Unit.
The money was used to buy
two rowing machines for secondary
and primary schools across
the district to support the indoor
rowing league and give children
the opportunity to become
involved in sport and sports
leadership.
The machines will be transported
around schools in the area,
giving access to all children and
providing opportunities to compete
at local and national level.
Phil Marwood, head of PE at
Ryedale School, (pictured below
with DI Wills) said: “After Christmas
the primary schools in our
catchment area will have the
opportunity to take part in an
inter-school rowing challenge.”
Detective Inspector Wills said:“It’s a great pleasure to be able
to make a contribution to our local
communities in this way. It’s
very satisfying to know that we
have hit criminals where it hurts
and children and young people
will benefit from the cash.”
Cash boost for charity
Another successful bid for
some of the £24,000 available
to community groups and
charities is the High Bentham
charity, which is now £1,912
better off thanks to criminals’
cash seized under the Why
should they? Campaign.
Pioneer Project’s Creative
Kitchen Garden will use the cash
to buy a market stall and marquee
to sell produce and provide extra
space for activities. Jay Haigh of Pioneer Projects
said: “We are delighted that our
bid was successful. The cash is a
very welcome boost and will help
us raise even more funds to help
support our projects.”
The cheque was presented
by Inspector Kevin Franks and
was followed by a lantern parade
through the town. Inspector
Franks and representatives of the Local Criminal Justice Board carried
a lantern specially made for
them by the charity (see top photo).
Inspector Franks, pictured with
Jay Haigh, said: “Criminals make
law-abiding citizens’ lives a misery.
It is great to be able to hit
them where it hurts and give their
ill-gotten gains back to charities,
such as Pioneer Projects, who
make such a difference to local
people.”
The project offers disadvantaged
and unemployed adults
in North Craven the opportunity
to develop practical and social
skills and gain confidence and
work experience through making,
displaying and selling crafts
and produce at local events and
markets.
Donation to life-savers
A team of rescue volunteers have
upgraded their vital communications
equipment thanks to cash
recovered from North Yorkshire’s
criminals.
Scarborough and Rydedale
Mountain Rescue Team made
a successful bid for £1,800 to
replace hand-held radios that
provide crucial communications
during rescue operations.
Team member Andrew Priestley
said: “We are delighted to receive
the grant towards replacing
our hand-held radio sets, these
are such vital pieces of equipment
for the team. It is satisfying
to know that money seized from
criminals can now be used to
support the work of a charity and
its volunteer members.”
Superintendent Javad Ali
said: “During my 28 years of
policing, I have called upon the
team’s services many times
and would like to pass on my
thanks for their tireless work in
saving many lives in what are often
dangerous conditions.
“It is always satisfying to see
criminals denied the proceeds of
their illegal activity, it is even better
when it is given back to volunteers
who risk their own lives to
help others.”
The Mountain Rescue Team
works closely with North Yorkshire
Police and Yorkshire Ambulance
Service to provide assistance in
search and rescue operations
and has responded to 50 incidents
this year alone.
Homecare for terminally ill
A local charity that helps terminally-ill people is £1,604 better
off courtesy of the county’s criminals.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim
Madgwick presented a cheque
for £1,604 to Herriot Hospice
Homecare, which aims to give
terminally-ill patients the opportunity
to remain at home by
providing specialist palliative care
workers and trained volunteers
over an area of 1,000 square
miles.
Each year they assist approximately
360 families. Irene Bosomworth
from the charity said: “We are delighted with the extra
cash, it is a very welcome boost
to our ongoing fundraising efforts
and will pay for a marquee
to house our charity stall that we
take to various local events.”
ACC Madgwick commented:“It gives us great pleasure to give
criminals’ cash to such a deserving
organisation. “The charity provides a vital
service to people in distressing
circumstances and we are very
humbled to be able to provide
some help towards their service.
“Our only regret is that we could
not donate more. We hope our
contribution goes a long way in
helping to raise even more funds
for this much-valued service.”
Centre photo shows ACC
Madgwick pictured with DS Dave
Edwards of the Financial Investigation
Unit (right).
Windfall for volunteers
Voluntary organisations across
York can boost their fundraising
capability thanks to the city’s
criminals.
Superintendent Lisa Winward,
who presented a cheque
for £1,749 to the Priory Street
Centre, said: “It gives me great
pleasure to present this money
to the centre, they do fantastic
work across the city, making a
difference to the lives of many
people.
“It is very satisfying to know
that the cash has been taken
from criminals and that the Proceeds
of Crime Act allows us to
really hit them where it hurts
the most – their pocket. Even
better that we can return some
of their ill-gotten gains to our
communities.”
Manager of the Priory Street
Centre, Kenny Lieske, said: “We
are delighted with the donation. In a remarkable twist of fate,
less than a year after being the
victims of crime, we get some
cash back from the criminal
fraternity!
“The funds have been used to
add to our ‘Beyond the Centre’
project by purchasing an extensive
range of additional fundraising
toolkits that can be hired
by small community groups for
their fundraising activities.”
Saved by proceeds of crime
Another slice of criminals’ cash
from the £24,000 seized from
criminals under the Proceeds
of Crime Act was handed over
to Kelfield Village Institute near
Selby.
Sergeant Edward Simpson
handed over a cheque for £750
as villagers celebrated the reopening
of the hall.
The money has been put towards
the cost of replacing the
floor of the village institute. Local
resident Gillian Little said:
“In April we discovered that
the hall, the last remaining
public building in the village,
had serious problems with the
floor that required complete
replacement.
“The building was built and
bequeathed to the villagers in
the 1920s and if work to replace
the floor was not able
to start within a few months,
there was a real danger that the
building would close.
“Without the substantial
grant from the Why should
they? campaign we would not
now have a new floor.”
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