More than £700,000 seized from criminals in Essex has been earmarked for crime-fighting projects in the last two years.

Essex Police receives a proportion of the cash its officers seize under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which is then invested in equipment and initiatives to continue fighting crime and protecting the public.

Deputy chief constable Derek Benson, chairman of the Essex Police POCA Board, said: "Not only is it always good to take money or assets from criminals who show no respect or concern for the impact their actions have on innocent people, but it is even better to then see that money put to good use.”

In 2014/15, the force’s POCA Board allocated £435,170 to successful funding bids and £342,199 in 2013/14.

Two of these recent bids have been for officers working in Southend and Basildon.

One of the successful bids approved last month was for £1,000 to buy two digital video cameras and equipment for the South Local Policing Area’s football policing unit, which covers Southend United FC.

The club currently averages a home attendance of 7,000 and is expected to see an increase in spectators after securing promotion to League One.

PC Keith Baker, football field intelligence officer, said: "There have been isolated incidents of anti-social behaviour and disorder, including a serious assault on a Cambridge United fan in March.

"The cameras will allow officers to identify the minority of troublemakers involved in football-related disorder at home and away matches.

"They will also help provide evidence to support applications for football banning orders, which prevent them from attending matches at home and abroad.”

Police are also helping to make people enjoying Basildon’s nightlife feel safer thanks to £7,500 earmarked from money seized under POCA.

At the Festival Leisure Park, PCSOs and police officers are handing out anti-spike drink testing kits to customers entering licenced venues, along with advice on keeping safe.

They are shown how to test drinks for minimal standard doses of benzodiazepines, including Rohypnol, Valium, GBH and ketamine.

Alcohol awareness kits are also being handed out to promote staying safe on a night out as there are a high number of people who drink alcohol at home before arriving at licensed premises and showing signs of being intoxicated.

The kits include safety advice, a personal safety alarm and a bottle of water.

Elsewhere across the county, testing cloths are to be used to detect if cocaine is being sold or used in clubs and other licensed premises.

It follows a successful trial scheme, which started about a year ago in the Basildon area following concerns about an increasing number of drug-related incidents at nightclubs.

Officers have been working closely with licensees and testing was carried out in clubs, pubs, bars and other licensed premises in the Basildon district.

Nineteen venues were checked and 16 initially tested positive. But when they were later re-tested all were found to be negative.

The scheme will now be used elsewhere in Essex.

PC Alex Plakhtienko, who is leading the testing, said: "This is an excellent way of educating individuals about the use of drugs and their effects, and also ensuring their safety.

"It is also a high-profile way for police and club management to send a strong message to club customers that drugs are not tolerated.”

Festival Leisure Park accredited security officers and management, the SOS Bus, district council licensing officers, the Security Industry Authority and health services co-ordinated by the Basildon and Brentwood Clinical Commissioning Group have worked in partnership with officers on these projects.