Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 31
Inconsistent fraud victim support across police forces lacks national standards.
Conclusion
Support available for victims of fraud is patchy and inconsistent. Thirty-seven police forces currently work with victim care units. However this is not compulsory and there is currently no national standard for fraud victim care.
Government Response Summary
The government agreed victims need support and allocated £30 million for Action Fraud upgrades, aiming to refresh the service by 2024 with a new reporting tool in 2023, but did not commit to a national standard for victim care or all 43 forces working with units by end of 2023.
Paragraph Reference:
31
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government agrees that we need to ensure that victims receive the support they need when reporting a fraud. To achieve this, we are providing over £30 million to CoLP, over the three years, to support the upgrade in the Action Fraud service and a number of improvements to the existing system have already been put in place to improve the victim experience. This includes the latest introduction of the Action Fraud Chat Bot. An overhaul of Action Fraud and creation of a modern victim experience focused reporting tool and website, in 2023, will offer simpler pathways to access further support and guidance. These improvements, which have been tested across the victim support landscape, law enforcement agencies, and other relevant bodies, will help to improve victim experience and satisfaction and, potentially, reduce repeat victimisation. By 2024, the whole service will be refreshed leading to greater outcomes for victims. The new service will also provide focussed and targeted support to victims through the AF National Economic Crime Victim Care Unit (NECVCU) service. This service has been rolled out to 37 forces and supported over 240,000 victims since its inception. Compensation