NI: PSNI use new powers to seize dissident cash for first time
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The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has used the Crime and Security Act 2001 to seize cash suspected to belong to a proscribed organisation for the first time.
A total of £3,500 was seized last September and handed to the Treasury, which allocates a portion of the funds to the PSNI.
However, the PSNI can only use those funds for specific operations and not for any police spending, the Belfast Telegraph reports.
District commander Superintendent Mark McEwan said it could not “be used to buy police equipment”.
He added: “When it was seized, we believed the money was in the hands of a proscribed organisation known as the New IRA.
“We know that these people are involved in criminality that creates harm and suffering in our community. This legislation gives us a tool to help us tackle illegal activity.
“It means that money that may have been used to buy guns and explosives to attack members of the community, including police officers, has been taken out of circulation.”
Antrim Crown Court has heard that an individual contesting the seizure has dropped their claim.
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