Leicestershire Police have cashed in to the tune of almost £1.5 million by selling crooks' ill-gotten gains, including luxury cars, jewellery and expensive designer clothing.
An Audi A4 convertible sold for £4,495, a BMW went for £21,000, a Rolex watch made £22,000 and a pair of Louboutin slippers brought in £195.
The force has sold thousands of items on eBay and was the first in the UK to use the auction site to flog criminals' belongings.
The costly items were confiscated after courts established they had been paid for with cash made through criminal activity - mainly drug-dealing.
The force opened its eBay shop in September 2009 and has since sold approximately 6,000 items.
During 2017, bargain hunters snapped up Rolex watches, high-performance BMW and Audi cars and a range of designer clothing and bags.
The cash generated by Leicestershire police's shop is shared between the force, the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Since the force began using eBay, it has been able to pay out more than £400,000 from the shop's revenue in compensation to victims.
The force's campaign – Too Much Bling, Give Us a Ring – encourages members of the public to call in with information about people they know who appear to be living the high life with no obvious legal means of paying for it.
Many of the items were confiscated thanks to tip-offs from members of the public.
Paul Wenlock, the head of Leicestershire Police's economic crime unit, said: "The most punishing thing for a criminal is to have their assets taken away from them, whether it's their car, a big bundle of cash or a pair of Louboutin slippers.
"People can provide us with information anonymously through Crimestoppers without becoming witnesses.
"We will act on that information once it has been corroborated.
"We are interested in people who are living lavish lifestyles and do not appear to have a legitimate source of income and we are taking the cash out of crime," he told the Leicester Mercury.
The police's eBay seller rating – which reflects its customers' satisfaction levels – is currently 100 per cent.
That means almost all the people who bought items from the force have been happy with their experience.
You can check out Leicestershire Police's eBay shop here.
A list of items currently on sale in Leciestershire Police's store:
- Company Maglia Con Cappuccio Wool Sweater with Hood, £35
- G Star Raw Black Quilted Hooded Lightweight Jacket, £6.51
- New with tags Armani Jeans Black Blouson Jacket, £60
- Used G Star Raw Grey Zip sweatshirt, £21
- Job Lot 6 Pairs of used G Star Denim Jeans, £29
