THOUSANDS of pounds worth of cash has been recovered from criminals to be ploughed back into crime fighting in Cambridgeshire. Figures released by the police show Cambridgeshire Constabulary to have recovered £39,575.15 from criminals between July and Sep

THOUSANDS of pounds worth of cash has been recovered from criminals to be ploughed back into crime fighting in Cambridgeshire.

Figures released by the police show Cambridgeshire Constabulary to have recovered £39,575.15 from criminals between July and September last year.

The money was obtained by the police under the new Proceeds of Crime Act which means courts can confiscate any property or money criminals make from their crimes, including selling drugs, people trafficking and sexual exploitation.

Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Vanterpool, head of serious and organised crime, said the figure was just a "small part of our wider programme to take cash out of crime".

He added: "To tackle organised crime we need to make it harder for the criminals to profit from their crimes.

"Over the last three years (2004-2007) we have seized criminal assets amounting to over £1.4million."

He added that 100 court cases were ongoing, which could potentially bring in more than £5million for the force in the future.