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Local councils will be able to seize the assets of minor offenders under Home Office plans set to be introduced next week.
Home secretary Alan Johnson will push through the measure next week using a statutory instrument, meaning it won't be debated by MPs.
Previously only police could seize assets ahead of a court ruling on their origin, but next week's move means accredited financial investigators, which includes customs officials and local authority workers, will also be given the powers.
The police and the Conservatives both reacted angrily to the idea.
"The Proceeds of Crime Act is a very powerful tool in the hands of the police and police-related agencies and it shouldn't be treated lightly," Paul McKeever, of the Police Federation, told The Times.
But the Home Office insists investigators were subject to proper codes of practise and would be fully trained to use the powers appropriately.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pandemic of swine flu may be hitting a peak in the Northern Hemisphere, global health officials said on Friday, but they cautioned it was far from over.
