Government policy is that crime should not pay and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) is designed to ensure that no offender benefits financially from their activities.
Under POCA, anyone convicted of a criminal offence in the Crown Court, or who is sent to the Crown Court for sentencing, may have a confiscation order made against them. In addition, the police and the prosecution have a number of powers to investigate financial affairs and to prevent the disposal of assets prior to a confiscation order being made. These include powers of search and seizure, powers to apply for production or disclosure orders and powers to freeze or restrain assets.