West Yorkshire Police have been promised more than £130,000 by the Government.

Under the asset recovery incentive scheme, the Home Office pays back 50 per cent of all assets recovered from criminals to front line agencies such as the police.

The Home Office has announced £5.2 million will be shared out between forces across the country based on how much money they claimed back in assets from criminals between October and December.

West Yorkshire will be given £130,313 for front-line policing and asset recovery, and other agencies including prosecutors and courts will also receive money.

Tom McGhie, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: "The message that is sent to criminals is that they will not make money from crime, it will be recovered and re-invested in fighting crime.

"Any money is welcomed as we are always under pressure with our budgets and we we would like to see the number of police officers preserved at the current level."

The 2002 Proceeds of Crime Act and the Asset Recovery Incentive Scheme has allowed police to apply for confiscation orders to strip criminals making use of their profits.

According to the latest figures, which detail confiscations from January to December 2007 from criminals involved in drug crime, £1.2 million across West Yorkshire was taken across the county.