This Government is determined not to let organised criminals — like the McMafia mob — act with impunity
The Prime Time BBC TV drama McMafia has brought home to millions of viewers the nature of serious and organised crime in the 21st Century.
On the surface, sharp suited people swan around the nation’s capital while all along they head up networks that trade on the back of the misery and suffering of others.
The McMafia drama reflects the reality of international crime today.
As Security Minister I see cases involving young girls trafficked across continents for sex, corrupt officials, murders and smooth middle men laundering money on their crime boss’s behalf.
The cost of corruption worldwide is estimated to be more than 2% of the global GDP – between $1.5 billion to $2 trillion - and the scale of money laundering impacting the UK alone is estimated to be in excess of £90 billion a year.
That is over twice the size of the annual defence budget.
This Government is determined not to let organised criminals act with impunity. We are marshalling our forces.
The National Crime Agency, police and intelligence agencies all have a role to play.
I am determined to ruthlessly focus on the threat using everything we have at our disposal. We will prosecute the Kingpins and the environment they inhabit using a full spectrum of effects.
As part of that process, this week our law enforcement community received new powers under the Criminal Finances Act.
Through asset freezing and forfeiture, and better information sharing we can go after dirty money in a way we haven’t been able to do in the past.
Denying international crooks the safe haven of London property and high value possessions will mean we can strike at the things that matter most to them.
One such new measure introduced by the Act is the “Unexplained Wealth Order”.
Granted by the High Court, they will be used by police to target individuals, in the UK or overseas, whom they suspect of involvement in or being connected to someone with involvement in, serious crime.
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Those people will then be forced to explain precisely how they acquired their wealth.
If they can’t, we will then seek to freeze the assets and we will use these proceeds to fund more police and more investigators to catch even more criminals.
Tackling organised crime is a priority of this Government. At all levels we are going to take the fight to the crooks. It is time the flashy McMafia mob felt the long arm of the law.