Payback time? To what extent has the new policing of assets provided new assets for policing?

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the extent to which the “new policing of assets” has produced new assets for policing in the UK.

Design/methodology/approach – This is achieved by producing an estimate of both the financial benefits and costs to the public purse based upon official documentation where possible.

Findings – Asset recovery and anti‐money laundering work has produced some assets to be used for policing, but even using a conservative methodology it is unlikely to have produced a financial benefit which is much more than its costs, indeed the costs are likely to have been greater.

Research limitations/implications – Many parts of the cost are estimates; therefore, researchers are encouraged to ascertain the exact costs.Practical implications – Of interest to those interested in the costs of government policies and regulations, especially the regulated sector burdened by the costs of complying with the money laundering legislation.

Originality/value – The paper attempts to fulfill the government's desire to improve the quality of the cost‐benefit analyses of the money laundering regime.