Bill From "Bill" To Old Bill

It is reported that the Met Police have bought all of the police uniforms used in making the long-running cop series 'The Bill' to prevent them from falling into the hands of criminals and fraudsters. So far, so sensible.

But considering that the Met inspired and sometimes collaborated with the programme makers over many years, and considering the strain on police finances at the moment, wouldn't it have been a decent and public-spirited gesture to just hand them over for free?