Money taken from the pockets of drug dealers and organised crooks has been pumped into deprived areas which have been blighted by crime.
Almost £100,000 has been handed out to various community groups in deprived areas, much of it seized via the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which allows the courts to order convicted criminals to hand over their illicit profits.
One success story involved Merseyside Police, partnering with St Helens Council, Torus Housing, Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service and the UK Health Security Agency to hold Participatory Budgeting (PB) events in St Helens - where groups make "Dragon's Den" style bids for funding.
