Staffordshire Police

The Regional Asset Recovery Team (RART (Opens in new window)) were established in 2004 in five of the nine ACPO regions. The network was enhanced to facilitate full coverage in England in Wales in April 2010 following recommendations embodied in the Governments organised crime strategy articulated in ‘Extending Our Reach’.

Their original purpose was to assist Police Forces and other agencies to increase the numbers of confiscation cases and to increase the value of assets seized. Their role has since evolved, the emphasis now being very much on tackling serious and organised crime targeting those individuals who cause our communities most harm.

The West Midlands RART is based at Bradford Street Police Station and services the Police Services of Staffordshire, Warwickshire (Opens in new window), West Midlands (Opens in new window) and West Mercia (Opens in new window). It is a multi agency team with its own POCA based lawyer, representative from HMRC and accountancy based analysts.

The team, which employs 22 staff, is funded directly by the Home Office and does not seek any benefit from incentivised funds (those recovered by way of confiscation order). It forms part of the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and can only be tasked via regional forums.

It supports ‘Viper’ operations by conducting financial investigations devised to support SIO’S overall investigative strategies whilst also providing options in relation to money laundering indictments and confiscation.

The RART also targets ‘professional’ facilitators, such as solicitors’ and accountants, whose activity allow Organised Crime Groups to dissipate criminal property.

Since inception in 2003-4 the West Midlands RART has secured 331 orders to the value of £126M making it the most successful in the country.