A groundbreaking report by Perpetuity Research and the Centre for Cybercrime and Economic Crime at the University of Portsmouth has uncovered a critical oversight in the fight against economic crime. Despite soaring levels of these offences, police forces are not fully utilising the vast resources and expertise available in the private and not-for-profit sectors. Even with significant underreporting, the volume of offences has placed a strain on police resources and this has served to undermine the ability of law enforcement to respond effectively. Meanwhile, parts of the private and not-for profit sectors dedicate significant resources to combatting economic crime. Banks and insurance companies for example, employ thousands of staff in antifraud roles. This expertise is largely invisible to the police, representing a massive, wasted opportunity.

OPEN REPORT

A warning has been made over the risks of food fraud which is costing the UK up to £2 billion per year after Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standard Agency published their latest Food Crime Strategic Assessment. Although the report found that the majority of food in the UK is safe and authentic, they do have concerns over the threat of food crime. Blame has largely been placed on huge recent geopolitical events around the world which have caused disruption in the food chain and left it open to fraud. Those events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, Russian’s invasion of Ukraine and Israel’s attacks on Palestine, have increased the risk of food crime.

Document fraud is observed as a common thread through many aspects of food crime, being utilised for example to outwardly legitimise illicit products resulting from thefts, unlawful processes or those which are being sold at a premium price after adulteration or substitution with substandard commodities.

CLICK HERE TO READ REPORT

OPEN ALERT

OPEN ALERT

OPEN ALERT

OPEN ALERT

We saw some small reductions in the amount stolen through payment fraud in 2023, but with losses of nearly £1.2 billion it remains a major problem and threat to the UK.

The damage this crime does is huge. The organised criminals and other threat actors who perpetrate these awful crimes cause serious harm to individuals, to society and to our country.

Fraud in all its forms continues to represent over 40 per cent of reported crime. That is the scale of the challenge we continue to face

Click here to read Report

OPEN ALERT

OPEN ALERT

OPEN ALERT