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Financial investigation

Investigation — Authorised Professional Practice

All topics

Summary

A financial investigation examines a person’s or entity’s financial matters, including the source, movement, and usage of money. The techniques outlined in this module serve all types of investigations and enable officers to employ powerful legislative tools to target proceeds of crime. This content aims to equip non-specialist investigators with the necessary knowledge to apply financial investigative tools, understand money laundering, initiate asset recovery, and confiscate criminal property.

Key principles

  • 1Investigate financial matters related to individuals or businesses.
  • 2Utilize legislative tools to target proceeds of crime.
  • 3Equip non-specialist investigators with financial investigation techniques.
  • 4Understand the role of financial investigations in broader investigations.
  • 5Facilitate asset recovery and confiscation of criminal property.

Defined terms

Financial investigation
Any investigation into a person or person’s financial matters.
Money laundering
The process of concealing the origin of illegally obtained money.
Asset recovery
The process of retrieving assets that are illegally obtained.
Confiscation
The legal process of taking ownership of assets.
Criminal property
Any property that represents the proceeds of crime.

Full guidance

This page is from APP, the official source of professional practice for policing.

A financial investigation is any investigation into a person or person’s financial matters. It could also involve the investigation into the finances of a business or a private limited company. A financial investigation can determine where money comes from, how it is moved and how it is used.

The financial investigation techniques described in this module can be used in all types of investigations, and investigators are able to engage powerful legislative tools that target the proceeds of crime.

This module focuses on the knowledge and awareness required for a non-specialist investigator to use financial investigative tools, to understand money laundering, and instigate asset recovery and the confiscation of criminal property.

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Reproduced from the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice under the Open Government Licence v3.0, as captured on 2026-06-27. APP is amended over time — check the source link below for the current version. This is a reference, not operational authorisation.

APP is the authoritative source for UK policing practice and is updated over time. For the current, official version — including any operational detail not reproduced here — go direct.

Read the full APP guidance

Source: College of Policing — Authorised Professional Practice · Crown copyright, licensed under Open Government Licence v3.0. Summary fetched 2026-06-27.