A unique program in the United Kingdom aimed at identifying people living off the proceeds of crime has enjoyed considerable success in a number of jurisdictions, but has also attracted its share of criticism.

In partnership with regional chapters of the charity group Crimestoppers U.K., multiple local police forces have launched a program called "Too Much Bling? Give Us a Ring." The object of the program is to encourage people who suspect that a neighbor or acquaintance is living off the proceeds of crime to anonymously provide information about that person to the police.

The program was first launched in February of 2006 by the Leicestershire Crimestoppers branch, in partnership with the Leicestershire Constabulary, said Hannah Daws, head of communications for Crimestoppers U.K. During an eight-day period, 24 people were arrested on charges including money laundering, drugs offenses, vehicle theft and burglary.

Success depends on advertising
Since then it has been replicated across the UK in a number of jurisdictions, always accompanied by an advertising campaign reliant on posters depicting jewelry, expensive cars, and other luxury items supposedly being enjoyed by criminals.

Success "really depends on the resources available to promote the campaign," said Daws.

A key component of the "Too Much Bling?" program is its effort to tap into any resentment and anger members of the public may feel toward suspected criminals.

In a release issued by the Sussex Police Department, which used the program to help seize more than £1.5 million between April and December of last year, Detective Sergeant Mick Richards said, "Members of the public are sick and tired of seeing people with no legitimate income living a lavish lifestyle. We are working hard towards taking the cash out of crime making use of all the powers granted to us under the Proceeds of Crime Act and other legislation.

 

"I am very aware that in these difficult times how disheartening it is to see people 'flashing the cash' when you know that it has come from a life of crime and that they appear to be 'getting away with it,'" he said.

Critics blast program
But the program's reliance on anonymous informants has also left it open to criticism.

Responding to the recent launch of the "Too Much Bling" program in Gloucestershire, former U.K. Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe, now a member of parliament, said, "Is this a joke? If the police spent half as much time tackling crime and getting out on the beat as they do coming out with this ridiculous stuff, we'd all be better off.

In her remarks, which were widely reported by the British press, she added, "'How are you meant to judge if someone buying a piece of jewelry can afford it?"

Defending the program, Daws noted that the information provided to police by an anonymous informant is not, by itself, sufficient grounds for an arrest or a search of someone's property.

"The information we pass on to police would be part of a larger investigation," she said. "It can provide new leads."

Viability in U.S. questioned
While the program has generally received positive coverage from the British press, and appears to have significant public support, criminal justice experts are dubious about its viability in other countries, including the United States.

"It's really sort of taking to a new level the idea of ratting out your neighbor," said Michael S. Scott, a associate professor of law at the University of Wisconsin and the Director of the Center for Problem Oriented Policing.

"It comes close to some of the methods used in East Germany years ago, where citizens were told to constantly report on their neighbors, which had a very corrosive effect on society," he said.

He said the success of any effort like this ought to be judged by its overall impact on crime — something that is not clear from the details available about "Too Much Bling?"

"It's clever, it's appealing, and it may yield some money for police," he said. "But on balance does it reduce crime?"

Ethnic stereotyping a concern
He said that the program also raises questions about the reliability of the information police receive and whether it would be tainted by racial or ethnic stereotypes. He said that patterns of spending considered normal in some cultures might be viewed as profligate in others, leading to unjustified suspicion.

A former police officer himself, Scott said that he doubts the public reaction to such a program in the U.S. would be positive.

"I'm thinking the American public is going to be much less enthusiastic about this program than some other societies would be," he said. "A dominant strain of American culture is that we are suspicious of the government."

For her part, Crimestoppers' Daws says that the public reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and for good reason.

"I think a lot of people in the community would not want to be living next to someone running a drugs racket, so they see it as a good thing," she said.