The police and fraud investigation and the case for a nationalised solution in the United Kingdom

Fraud is not treated as a major criminal concern by most UK police forces unless linked to organised crime or terrorism. This is perhaps understandable since the police have limited resources available to deal with such a complex crime. However, the consequences of the Fraud Review and Fraud Act 2006 are likely to lead to more frauds being reported to the police and more victims seeking ‘justice’. This might increase the pressure on the police to respond to the crime and reassure victims. These victims could be individuals, national or international organisations putting pressure on the police to exercise their powers of arrest and search or interview a suspect under caution. This article presents findings from a series of interviews with staff in the public and private sectors focused upon fraud, as well as other data on their views about their relationship with the police. From this research the article argues for a new nationalised fraud agency to cope better with the problem of fraud.