WEST Yorkshire Police will be almost £400,000 better off – thanks to villains.

This is the amount the force will receive from the assets seized from criminals in its share of a £5.5m pot split between police forces and other crime-fighting agencies across England and Wales.

Criminal assets confiscated by police forces and other asset recovery agencies between October and December 2008 totalled £31.8m.

Half of this is to be shared between police, prosecutors, courts and other agencies.

The £5.5m given to police forces in England and Wales this time compares to £5.14m paid out in the same quarter last year.

Since the Proceeds of Crime Act came into effect in 2003, just over £530m has been seized. An incentive scheme introduced in 2006 allows the police and recovery agencies to retain half of all cash they seize from criminals.

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: “This scheme is a great benefit for policing.

“Taking money from criminals makes crime far less profitable for them.

“At the same time, that money is ploughed directly back into the police force that seized it so they can use for their fight against crime in their area.

“Recovering more than £31m from criminals in the space of three months is a great achievement and I want to thank the police and other partners for their hard work in seizing the money and undermining criminal gangs.”

A total of £135m was recovered in the financial year 2007-8, £125m in 2006-7, £96m in 2005-6, £84m in 2004-5 and £54.5m in 2003-4.