The new Film Piracy Unit will, with the help of FACT, the UK film and broadcast industry’s anti-piracy organisation, collate intelligence on crime trends and criminal activity in the area of film piracy.
The unit, made up of one Detective Sergeant and four Detective Constables, will be committed to the targeted investigation of pirate networks and will not only be seeking to prosecute those involved, but also to use the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (POCA) to attack the financial rewards earned by the criminals.
POCA sets out tough rules that allow Courts to confiscate assets from criminals, unless they can prove that the assets were not derived from crime.
“This will clearly send a message that this type of crime will not pay,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Nigel Mawer, Head of Economic and Specialist Crime Command and the officer in overall charge of the unit.
The unit will run for a trial period of 12 months.
