Editorial: Confiscating assets, and investing them in the community, is a good way to show that crime doesn't pay

It's been announced that over £1.2 million of seized criminal assets have been redirected to worthy community projects in Northern Ireland over the last three years.

Seized by police, these proceeds of crime have been invested in a range of local initiatives through the Assets Recovery Community Scheme (ARCS). Cash, property, vehicles and investments can all be seized and used to fund the ARCS.

In the latest announcement, it’s been revealed how money has been invested to try and reduce antisocial behaviour.

Schemes have also been supported which help victims of modern slavery, domestic abuse and hate crime. And funding has been used to finance programmes raising awareness of fraud, scams and organised crime.

In one example, £11,320 was handed out to the Marrowbone Community Hub in north Belfast to address antisocial behaviour. Young people got involved in community clean-ups, fun days, ‘and have become role models for others’, says a youth worker.

These are all worthwhile endeavours which law-abiding citizens will applaud as a means of tipping the balance against lawbreakers.

Criminals who fall foul of the law likely watch on in anger when their ill-gotten gains are seized by the authorities.

It's therefore a double insult when they see their assets put to good use in wider society - a society that they cared little for when they were carrying out their crimes.

As Justice Minister Naomi Long says, crime gangs “exist to accumulate wealth and they do so by exploiting people and spreading misery across our communities”.

The authorities must use every tool at their disposal to thwart the activities of criminals – and confiscating assets is a way of showing that crime doesn’t pay.