Police Auctions, Cheshire Constabulary

Have you ever wondered what happens to all those stolen items that have been confiscated by the police?

Cheshire Police have an account on the auction site eBay which they use to sell criminals' assets in an effort to raise cash for victims of crime. You can buy seized assets at the Cheshire Police eBay account.

The public can purchase items that have formed part of a Court 'Confiscation Order' under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) 2002.

The purpose of POCA is to deprive a convicted criminal of any financial benefit they have made through their crimes. POCA empowers convicted criminals to sell their assets in order to pay off their confiscation order. These goods are authentic but have been bought with money obtained through crime.

'By selling items in this way, we hope to generate a bigger income from criminal assets, which in turn will benefit victims of crime and be reinvested in local policing initiatives.'

• Karen Jaundrill, Detective Sergeant of the Financial Investigation Unit

The cash raised from these online auctions will go back to the Home Office, with Cheshire Constabulary receiving 18% of the proceeds.

So far, over £20,000 has been raised by selling items such as digital cameras, laptop computers and mobile phones. This money has been reinvested into policing Cheshire.

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