Asset recovery has been established as part of the criminal justice process since the early 1980s and developed significantly with the introduction of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA).
POCA introduced the ability for law enforcement agencies to use the civil burden of proof to recover assets if they were shown to derive from unlawful conduct or were intended for use in unlawful conduct.
These powers have been used for a number of years within Dorset Police on an as-and-when basis. An exciting opportunity is now present for the first time which has created the role of civil asset recovery officer for the dedicated purpose of pursuing assets derived from unlawful conduct held by persons or entities linked to the Dorset Police area and at the same time using existing asset recovery incentivisation to help deliver a portion of these funds directly back to Dorset Police.
The role will require the research and development of intelligence and information to establish the derivation of funds and seek court orders to secure those funds while investigations develop an understanding of their background. If you believe the funds are from an illicit source based on all the facts, you would go on to make an application to forfeit them.
The role therefore consists of three distinct parts: research and development of intelligence, overt investigation engaging with the persons who have an interest in the assets and establishing trends and patterns in financial data using software such as Excel, and then a court process where you will present information in both written and oral form to the court. This will see you liaising with respondents, solicitors, police legal services and court staff and officials.
The role will require you to achieve Accredited Financial Investigator status as well as Accredited Civil Recovery in Summary Proceedings (CRiSP) FI status which gives you the right to make an application to the Magistrates’ Court. Currently the FI course is a 4-day residential NCA course typically held in Bristol. The CRiSP course is delivered remotely via MS Teams.
The role will be largely office based and effective development and delivery in the role will be dependent on you working closely with the Financial Investigation Unit staff in Bournemouth.
The FIU office works from Monday to Friday during core office hours. The role does not generally require weekend or late working. Overtime opportunities are rarely available within the unit. The role will require driving to/from court when required.
The FIU is an inclusive team. The team are excited to expand the unit’s capacity to disrupt economic crime in this way and will provide you with close support throughout the training process and beyond.
If you require further information about the role or wish to speak to a member of FIU to find out more, please email ecu@dorset.pnn.police.uk and a colleague will make contact with you.
