Issue - meetings

This report provides an overview of the activities of the National Trading Standards Regional Investigations and eCrime Team and seeks approval for a revision to the distribution of Proceeds of Crime Act monies received under the government’s Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme.

Resolved:  That the revision to the distribution of the ARIS monies received from NTS prosecutions be approved, in accordance with paragraph 13 of the report and Option A in paragraph 15.

Reason:     To enable funds to be available to NYCC for development and support of the eCrime function.

The Executive Member considered a report which provided an overview of the activities of the National Trading Standards (NTS) Regional Investigation and eCrime Team and sought approval for a revision to the distribution of Proceeds of Crime Act monies received under the government’s Asset Recovery Incentivisation Scheme (ARIS).

As well as carrying out regional investigations, City of York Council (CYC) undertook national eCrime investigations / prosecutions as part of a partnership with North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC).  Cases were often complex and lengthy, with multiple defendants and victims.  Prosecutions during 2017/18 had resulted in the imposition of prison sentences totalling 60 years and Confiscation Orders totalling £3,562,840, from which compensation of £287,866 had been paid to victims.

As investigator and prosecutor, CYC received 37.5% of any monies paid under Confiscation Orders.  Of this, 50% was returned to NTS, 25% was retained for spending on local issues and 25% was currently paid to the Yorkshire & Humber group of local authority trading standards services (YAHTSG) to fund regional trading standards projects.  The recommended proposal (Option A) was to pay the 25% received from eCrime cases to NYCC instead, enabling them to develop and enhance the digital forensics capacity to support the work of CYC’s eCrime investigators. Option B was to maintain the current position.

Resolved:  That the revision to the distribution of the ARIS monies received from NTS eCrime prosecutions be approved, in accordance with paragraph 13 of the report and Option A in paragraph 15.

Reason:     To enable funds to be available to NYCC for development and support of the eCrime function.