19 June 2026
Luke Myer MP has welcomed new figures showing Cleveland Police have taken over £500,000 in cash from criminals over the last two years, and frozen or recovered a further £3.2 million in criminal assets.
The force’s Economic Crime Unit has used ‘proceeds of crime’ powers to target the profits of crime, seizing everything from Rolex watches, gold chains and designer goods to houses, cryptocurrency and bank accounts.
Labour Police & Crime Commissioner Matt Storey is directing the recovered funds into compensation for victims as well as creating further policing roles in the Economic Crime Unit, focused on investigating fraud and other complex financial crimes. Cleveland Police continues to grow, with the Labour Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee having brought 48 new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs to Cleveland over the last year.
The figures come as the Labour Government strengthens the Proceeds of Crime regime through the Crime and Policing Act 2026. The reforms make it easier and faster to confiscate criminal assets, improve the enforcement of confiscation orders, strengthen civil recovery powers and ensure more recovered money can be returned to victims. Labour has also announced a new National Crime Agency-led unit to target ‘dodgy shops’ – businesses suspected of laundering criminal proceeds through sham retail premises.
Organised Crime Chief Inspector, Dave Glass said:
“The work of the Economic Crime Unit ensures that crime doesn’t pay. We disrupt criminal activity by removing the benefit of crime from criminals at every opportunity.
“We can confiscate all kinds of assets – houses, savings, cars and even pensions. Literally anything that we believe has been paid for with money made from criminal activity, we can seize. It also stays on their record for life, and we can revisit at any time.
“We can also use POCA as a tool to compensate victims. Even where the assets are not linked to any crime affecting the victim, we can restrain and confiscate a suspect’s assets to compensate a victim. We have successfully compensated victims of fraud, blackmail and robbery, but any acquisitive crime can be considered under POCA.
“The meticulous enquiries carried out by the team in these complex investigations really brings in some great results in disrupting criminal networks, depriving criminals of any benefit they have made from crime and ensuring that this money goes back to the victims and to the community.”
Luke Myer MP said:
“When people are working hard to pay the bills, it sticks in the throat to see criminals funding a luxury lifestyle and leaving victims to pick up the pieces.
“That’s why I welcome the work Cleveland Police are doing to hit criminals where it hurts most, and I’m proud to have voted to strengthen these powers, making it easier to recover criminal assets and ensuring more money can be returned to victims.
“Alongside more neighbourhood officers on our streets, it is part of a wider drive to make our communities safer. The message is simple: crime should not pay.”