What else is going on then?
The publication of this document has focused people on fraud - both in the need to measure the problem and of course to take further actions in the fight against fraud. It coincides with other recent key activities in the fight against fraud that have started the rollercoaster. Most notably the Fraud Bill which was passed in 2006 and the governments Fraud Review. The Fraud Bill helps in the prosecution of new frauds and tidies up some of the existing fraud offenses, but it is the Fraud Review that was completed in 2006 that has started to stir things up a bit.
The Review sought to identify the scale of the problem which was rather eclipsed by the ACPO report (see above); to determine the government’s role in dealing with fraud; and to identify how resources could be best applied to deal with the problems of fraud.
It extends to nearly 400 pages, was followed up with a public consultation and a response paper, all of which make for interesting reading. Key recommendations include: -
- The establishment of a National Fraud Strategic Authority (NFSA)
- The setting up of a fraud measurement unit within the NFSA
- A National Fraud Reporting Centre (NFRC)
- Increased data sharing (five separate recommendations)
The review also makes recommendations for strengthening police resources, the courts system, training of judges, availability of investigators, regional support centres, deceased persons registers and much, much more etc.
The government responded to the consultation under the banner “Fighting Fraud Together”, which demonstrated a high level of support for the recommendations in the Fraud Review and a commitment to press ahead with many of these. We have also seen Lord Goldsmith as Attorney General at a recent fraud conference who hailed the Fraud Review as a cornerstone to the government’s overall strategy to address fraud. So fraud is really getting on to the agenda!
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