Soca seized £1 for every £15 spent

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
23/06/2009 23:47

The agency in charge of recovering the proceeds of crime has been criticised by MPs after it emerged £1 was seized from gangs for every £15 in its budget. The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) was heralded as "Britain's FBI" when it was launched three years ago in a blaze of publicity.



It has since recovered £78 million from crime bosses, while costing taxpayers £1.2 billion.



Soca chairman Sir Stephen Lander, and director general Bill Hughes, defended its performance as they appeared before the Home Affairs Committee. Labour MP David Winnick said the agency had been "a disappointment" and had failed to deliver results.

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
23/06/2009 23:48

The committee heard accusations the agency employed too many senior managers after it emerged it had a total of 30 deputy directors. Reports suggested it was riven with internal conflict and faced a review of its work by 10 Downing Street.



Sir Stephen, who retires later this summer, accepted Soca faced "teething troubles" but said he would give it a score of eight out of ten for its performance this year.

He told the committee drug operations had stemmed the supply of cocaine, leading to an increase in prices to an all-time high. Crime bosses were moving away from cocaine because it was no longer profitable, he said.

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
23/06/2009 23:51

isnt it about time that the british goverment got there own house in order first before they start trying to run about after so called criminals.



the criminals are in the goverment.fidling expenses, VAT evasion.ect ect

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
23/06/2009 23:54

just the same as the big hooray when the asset recovery agency was set up.



tony blair was all smiles and lots of fireworks.



said he was going to dismantle criminals and take away there assetts



in the first year they took 3.6 million off so called criminals, but it cost the tax payer almost 70 million. then they disbanded the ARA ,as it was non profitable! haha amazing.,but true



ahh. im going to bed!

zerochlor


Joined: 03/04/2009
Posts: 4024

Message Posted:
23/06/2009 23:57

thank god i was never a tax payer!!



id of hated to think id of contributed to that farce!