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Exclusive: Workload fears for police in new purge on fraud
A NEW national centre to tackle fraud is expected to unearth so many new crimes that police fear they will lack the resources to investigate them all.
Humberside Police has already admitted it does not expect to be able to cope with the likely surge in reported crimes and none of the region's other three forces could give assurances they would be able to handle the increased workload.
The extra work is expected to be generated from the new National Fraud Reporting Centre which is being set up to encourage the public and businesses to highlight suspected cases of fraud.
The centre, which is expected to be fully operational next year, is partially in response to the massive rise in economic crime that has swept through the country in recent years.
Identity fraud is soaring – CIFAS, the UK's fraud prevention service, has reported a 40 per cent increase in people falling victim compared with the same period in 2008. The recession has also brought an increase in economic crime.
Now police are concerned they will be unable to deal with issues such as anti-social behaviour because of the extra demand.
The acting Chief Constable of Humberside Police, David Griffin, warned in a report to Humberside Police Authority: "The National Fraud Reporting Centre is likely to impact on the force with a considerable rise in reported crime which the force does not currently have the capacity to investigate. This could impact on public confidence and divert resources from existing police authority targets."
Two pilot schemes are to be launched later this year, including a website offering an online crime reporting facility, run in conjunction with West Midlands Police and a dedicated call centre.
The information gathered through both channels will be assessed by analysts at the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, which will decide what is passed on for investigation, either by individual forces or other organisations such as the Serious Organised Crime Agency or counter-terrorism units.
Mr Griffin's report continues: "The National Fraud Reporting Centre is likely to be fully operational by 2010.
"This is likely to lead to an increase in reported crime, particularly relating to Internet, credit card and identity fraud.
"As the purpose of the centre is to make it easier for the public to report fraud, the capacity of the force to adequately deal with such an increase is questionable and this could have an impact in overall confidence."
The report said the rise in fraud cases could harm Humberside's efforts to meet its own policing priorities, which include tackling anti-social behaviour, protecting the public, responding to issues at neighbourhood level, and increasing public confidence and satisfaction in the service.
One MP said a better co-ordinated response to fraud was overdue, but it was up to the Government and police to make sure adequate resources were available to investigate crime.
East Yorkshire Tory MP Graham Stuart said: "If there's a new fraud reporting centre and it's being brought in because fraud tends not to be taken seriously by police then this should be welcomed, and resources and priorities will need to be suitably adjusted to respond.
"If there's a genuine need for investigation they will have to take this information on board and prioritise resources."
Both North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire Police said they were still assessing the likely impact of the plans and could not comment further at this stage.
South Yorkshire Police referred inquiries to City of London Police, the lead force on fraud.
A City of London spokesman said: "As a result of this initiative figures for reported cases of fraud are likely to rise.
"However, this data will be collated and specifically used to find matches in offending that can assist police investigations."
A Home Office spokesman said it was up to individual forces to set their priorities.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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