Editing Assets Recovery Agency (section)

==Background==
The setting up of the ARA was a key aspect of the POCA, which the Government intended to take the profit out of crime, aiming to dismantle and disrupt [[organised crime]] gangs by confiscating the financial proceeds of criminal acts. It brings together previous legislation, such as the [[Drug Trafficking Act 1994]] and Part VI of the [[Criminal Justice Act 1988]], with the changes recommended in a comprehensive report of a study conducted by the [[Performance and Innovation Unit]] of the [[Cabinet Office]] in 2000.

POCA strengthened the legislation relating to seizures of cash, [[money laundering]], investigatory powers, and restraint and confiscation procedures. Previously, only profits from certain crimes, such as [[drug trafficking]], were liable to confiscation.

The Agency had three strategic aims:
* To disrupt organised criminal enterprises through the recovery of criminal assets, thereby alleviating the effects of crime on communities.
* To promote the use of financial investigation as an integral part of criminal investigation, within and outside the Agency, domestically and internationally, through training and continuing professional development.
* To operate the Agency in accordance with its vision and values.