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Operation Rize used powers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to ensure that crime does not pay and that there should be no place for criminals to hide their ill-gotten gains. On 2-3 June 2008, officers from the Met's Economic and Specialist Crime Command (SCD6) arrested three people on suspicion of money laundering, and began the huge task of searching nearly 7000 safety deposit boxes at three addresses under a search warrant. The painstaking process of examining 3608 safe deposit boxes seized during Operation Rize continues with police restoring items of property, which are urgently required, on a daily basis. This includes objects such as passports and documents required urgently to complete on property transactions. Police efforts have been hampered by false declarations from members of the public seeking urgent restoration where there is no real urgency. In addition to this, some owners have made inaccurate assessments of the contents of their boxes, causing police to investigate the contents before they can be restored. Where cash has been stored in the boxes, assessment of the origins of the cash must take place before restoration. Detectives will look for provenance of the cash held, in line with the requirements of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The Met police are committed to returning legitimate owners property as soon as possible. This month, a restoration centre will be opened where police will look to restore genuinely held items to their rightful owners, against proof of ownership. Owners will be contacted and given a mutually convenient appointment time to attend the centre. Details of the centre will be announced when the full arrangements are in place. Property is being held in secure locations and measures have been in place from the outset to protect the integrity of each individual box and that process remains. The operation has been a resounding success so far with firearms, ammunition drugs and a huge amount of other criminal property, including cash being recovered. http://cms.met.police.uk/news/ |
