Home Office Grant Funding: London Regional Asset Recovery Team

This paper seeks approval to accept the Home Office offer of grant funding for 2020/21 of £1,224,333 to part fund the work of the Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART), Asset Confiscation Enforcement Team (ACET) and other supporting functions for London.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to:

1. Approve acceptance of a grant up to £1million from the Home Office Core Grant covering the capabilities of the London Regional Asset Recovery Team and other units

2. Approve acceptance of a grant up to £224,333 of grant from the Home Office covering the capabilities of the London Asset Confiscation Enforcement Team

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The London Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART) and other Units provide a cohesive and coordinated operational response to Serious and Organised Crime from the MPS, CoLP and BTP. The three police forces work closely on a range of issues and follow an operating model reflected nationally across England and Wales.

1.2. The RART and Asset Confiscation Enforcement Team (ACET) are multi-agency teams, physically co-located with other partner agencies including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

1.3. The primary purpose of the RART and ACET is to provide specialist support for London law enforcement for the restraint, confiscation, enforcement and realisation of the proceeds of crime which have been identified as criminal assets. They also identify, adopt and implement best practice for financial investigation and asset recovery which is reflected across a national network.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. The London RART and other units support directly the MOPAC Police and Crime Plan 2017-2021 with activity specifically aimed at tackling serious and organised crime, including by removing the financial incentives from crime using powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. This includes seizing the profits from high-end economic crime such as fraud, money laundering and drugs trafficking.

2.2. The MPS report that for the current financial year to date the London RART and ACET have so far denied criminals assets valued in excess of £10million.

2.3. The MPS confirm that there are at least an equitable number of officers and staff across the MPS engaged in this area of business and so meeting the ‘match funding’ requirement of the grant offer.

3. Financial Comments

3.1. This proposal seeks approval to accept £1,224,333 of Home Office grant funding for 2020/21. The MPS confirm that there is additional MOPC funded spend meeting the match funding requirement.



4. Legal Comments

4.1. This grant will be paid to MOPAC by the Home Office in the exercise of power conferred upon the Secretary of State pursuant to Section 169 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 and Section 48 of the Police Act 1996 to make awards of Grant funding.

4.2. MOPAC may accept the offer of the Grant pursuant to Schedule 3 Paragraph 7 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 (“2001 Act”) where MOPAC may do anything which is calculated to facilitate, or is conducive or incidental to, the exercise of the functions of the Office which includes entering into contracts and other agreements (whether legally binding or not).

4.3. Paragraph 4.8 of MOPAC’s Scheme of Delegation and Consent requires the approval of the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to approve the receipt of the grant.

5. GDPR and Data Privacy

5.1. MOPAC will adhere to the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018 and ensure that any organisations who are commissioned to do work with or on behalf of MOPAC are fully compliant with the policy and understand their GDPR responsibilities.

5.2. MPS assure that a screening questionnaire has been completed and a further DPIA is not considered necessary.

6. Equality Comments

6.1. MOPAC is required to comply with the public sector equality duty set out in section 149(1) of the Equality Act 2010. This requires MOPAC to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations by reference to people with protected characteristics. The protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

6.2. MPS assure that the work of these units does not adversely affect protected characteristic groups

7. Background/supporting papers

• Appendix 1 MPS Report Home Office Grant Funding: Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART) and London Asset Confiscation Enforcement Team (ACET) 2020/2021