Police and Crime Commissioner working with the force to recover funds from criminal activity

We've heard how the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner hopes they'll be 'progress' in recovery the gold from the toilet stolen from Blenheim Palace.

Called 'America' it was a sculpture created in 2016 by the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, and was taken in an 'audacious heist' in 2019.

Earlier this month three men were been found guilty over their part in the 2019 raid of a £4.8 million pound toilet from the Oxfordshire stately home.

Proceeds from crime

3\9 year old Michael Jones of Oxford and 36 year old Fred Doe of Windsor were convicted yesterday over the theft, with 40 year old James Sheen of Wellingborough having previously pleaded guilty.

The proceeds of crime when recovered are put back into the community but the levels returned are dwarfed by the £12 billion estimated to be in the crime economy.

Its been reported Sheen, who pleaded guilty before the trial, was part of organised crime groups that made more than £5 million from fraud and theft, and that's money authorities have largely failed to recover.

Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Barber doesn't believe new laws are needed over the recovery of profits from crime:

"It's absolutely right that we need to make sure that the legislation in place is properly used. I don't think there's a new necessarily for new legislation, but actually we need to make sure wherever possible claiming that money back from criminals to make sure they don't just pay in jail time but they pay in cash as well."

"Thames Valley Police is well placed to tackle that, it's an area I'm pushing the force to make sure that we are looking at. It's often the crime that perhaps people don't necessarily see on their streets day to day, but we know there are some serious offenders out there that we need to make sure the police are pursuing and that's what you've seen in this case."

At the three men's conviction Thames Valley Police revealed over 2000 pieces of evidence were looked at during what they call a 'complex case'.

Matthew Barber says he's hopeful they'll be 'progress' in the recovery of the gold:

"Thames Valley Police is well placed to tackle that, it's an area I'm pushing the force to make sure that we are looking at. It's often the crime that perhaps people don't necessarily see on their streets day to day, but we know there are some serious offenders out there that we need to make sure the police are pursuing and that's what you've seen in this case."

Police powers in this area

Police have powers known as Unexplained Assets Orders to recover money from criminal activity. This is where criminals have to prove where money has come from, as Matthew Barber explains:

"What you have seen police doing in recent years, is looking at the legislation which allows police and investigators to have Unexplained Assets Orders which means criminals have to show where those assets have come from meaning criminals have to show where those assets have come from. And that puts the onus on those criminals to identify the sources of their income.

"We are seeing that being used increasingly, and often going after the money with some of these gangs. But actually where they may have been able to avoid detection through other routes, using some of that money laundering legislation to get to the criminals."

The gold from the toilet has not been recovered.

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