Bling

The 'too much bling, give us a ring' campaign has been running since February 2006, in a partnership between Leicestershire Crimestoppers and the Leicestershire Constabulary.

We're encouraging members of the public to report anyone they know who is living a lavish lifestyle funded by suspected criminal activity. Since a hugely successful 'Bling' campaign in 2006, we've recently launched 'Bling 2'.

Bling 2 has seen some incredible successes in Leicestershire:

• During an 8-day period last month, 24 people were arrested for money laundering, drugs offences, theft of vehicles, fraud and burglary
• £53,900 in cash was recovered
• £195,000 worth of vehicles were seized
• 5 cannibis factories were closed down. 1,100 cannibis plants were destroyed, that would have had a street value of £1million
• 1 stun gun was recovered

Superintendent Rob Nixon, said: "Since the launch of 'Too much bling, give us a ring' in 2006 we have had hundreds of calls from the public giving us information about suspected criminals flaunting the profits of their crime by driving fancy cars, wearing designer clothes and flashing their cash.

"Once there is enough evidence pointing to an individual who has cash or property we believe are the proceeds of crime, we will arrest them and seize their assets. The individual is then taken to court and the burden is on the accused to explain where the cash and property has come from. This can be a difficult thing to do if you've got a top of the range Mercedes on the drive and £10,000 profits from drug dealing stuffed under your mattress."

Nixon goes on to say: "We have a dedicated team of investigators who are committed to using this powerful legislation to make sure that crime does not pay for criminals. And it's not just the stereotypical 'Mr Big' criminal. The Proceeds of Crime Act is just as effective against criminals like the car thieves, burglars and street robbers who blight our local communities.

"The 'Too much bling, give us a ring' campaign has been hugely successful and the public can help us to continue our good work by reporting anyone they suspect is profiting from the proceeds of crime so we can hit criminals where it hurts - in their wallets."

Call 0800 555 111 if you want to give information about crime and criminals anonymously.