Payback time? To what extent has the new policing of assets provided new assets for policing?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the extent to which the “new policing of assets” has produced new assets for policing in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach

This is achieved by producing an estimate of both the financial benefits and costs to the public purse based upon official documentation where possible.

Findings

Asset recovery and anti‐money laundering work has produced some assets to be used for policing, but even using a conservative methodology it is unlikely to have produced a financial benefit which is much more than its costs, indeed the costs are likely to have been greater.

Research limitations/implications

Many parts of the cost are estimates; therefore, researchers are encouraged to ascertain the exact costs.

Practical implications

Of interest to those interested in the costs of government policies and regulations, especially the regulated sector burdened by the costs of complying with the money laundering legislation.

Originality/value

The paper attempts to fulfill the government's desire to improve the quality of the cost‐benefit analyses of the money laundering regime.

Citation

Sproat, P.A. (2009), "Payback time? To what extent has the new policing of assets provided new assets for policing?", Journal of Money Laundering Control, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 392-405. https://doi.org/10.1108/13685200910996074