Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Deferred
Dedicated Ministerial portfolio crucial for unified, accountable approach to tackling fraud.
Conclusion
Fraud and other forms of economic crime need to sit within a Ministerial portfolio that allows the postholder to prioritise this increasingly important area of work, and who can draw together parts of government and private sector companies to create a unified approach to tackling fraud. This should also be in such a way as will give the issue more publicly visible political and governmental ownership and accountability. (Paragraph 20) Victims
Government Response Summary
The government deflected the recommendation about ministerial portfolio, committing instead £30 million over three years to upgrade Action Fraud, replacing it in 2024, and launching a new reporting tool and website in 2023.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Government agrees that victims of fraud should have access to an effective reporting service, alongside the support and information they require and therefore, we are replacing Action Fraud in 2024. Victims, however, will not have to wait until then before they begin to see an improvement to the mechanisms for reporting fraud and monitoring the progress of their cases. We are providing £30 million to City of London Police (CoLP) over the next three years, to support the upgrade in the Action Fraud service. A number of improvements to the existing system have already been put in place, as part of this upgrade, to improve the victim reporting experience and the quality and timeliness with which cases are sent to police forces for action. Improvements include: • Increasing the number of staff in the call centre • Expanding the reach of victim care services • Using automation to increase effectiveness • Sending cases to forces faster One key improvement, currently underway, is to transform the Action Fraud website where the public can report fraud and cybercrime. In 2023, a new, user-friendly, accessible reporting tool and website will be launched, offering an improved victim experience and simpler pathways to access further support and guidance. It will crucially improve: the ease of reporting; quality and validation of data; timeliness of the reports from the public; and provide law enforcement the intelligence they need to investigate and disrupt more fraudsters. Fraud and the Justice system: Government Response 5 Action Fraud 1.3