A law of unintended consequences - the Proceeds of Crime Act

Asset recovery has come a long way in nearly ten years since the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 took effect. Criminals are poorer by a billion pounds, writes Tristram Hicks, and cash remains their weakest link.

Tristam Hicks may be contacted via www.aml-consulting-global.com

Not so long ago…

The chairman glowered at the woman in the corner of a large square of conference tables. “So”, he summarised, “the plan for training judges in the largest piece of criminal law to go through Parliament in a generation is 45 minutes each, at some point in the next three years?” She nodded her assent. You could see his point, the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), at 463 sections was indeed the largest single law ever to be enacted and less than an hour’s training did seem inadequate for anyone, even judges, who are famously good at devouring complexity.