FOI 144952

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO: 144952

I write in connection with your request for information which was received on 11^th January 2022. Please find below the response to your request:

Please provide the following: 1. The number of police officers currently assigned to your fraud squad or economic crime command/department and the number of officers assigned to that fraud squad or economic crime command/department in calendar 2015 and 2010. 2. The number of fraud complaints or referrals received in calendar 2021, 2015 and 2010. 3. The number of fraud investigations begun in calendar 2021, 2015 and 2010. 4. The number of current fraud investigations. 5. The number of current fraud prosecutions in which the force is involved and the number of such fraud prosecutions begun in 2021.

Reply:-

I can confirm that West Mercia Police hold the information you have requested. Please see below

1. ECU Fraud Team

Current = 1 DS, 5 Investigators

2015 = 1 DS, 7 Investigators

2010 = 1DS, 7 Investigators

Note – ECU comprises of a wider team of staff – Supervisors, FIs, SARs Officers, Research and Analysis staff, who all support Fraud Investigations but who are not part of the dedicated Fraud Team.

2. Number of fraud complaints or referrals

2021 = 1047

2015 – 2180*

2010 – 1508

Note – taken from West Mercia Police crime recording systems. 2021 and 2015 reflect crimes recorded as NFIB disseminations (those sent to the force by NFIB for investigation) and Fraud Call for Service (those fraud investigations reported directly to the force as they met the CFS criteria). 2010 is pre Action Fraud and NIFIB so reflect crimes recorded under Fraud offence categories.

*2015 figures are approximate as there was a change in Force Crime reporting systems during 2015/16 that may mean the figures are slightly inaccurate.

The above figures (2015/2021) do not include all frauds within the West Mercia Police force area, which were reported via Action Fraud. This data belongs to Action Fraud and may be requested via them.

3. As above – all Fraud Crimes recorded (NIFIB disseminations and Fraud CFS) are allocated for investigation in West Mercia Police.

4. Current Fraud Investigations = 330

Fraud Investigations recorded on West Mercia Police crime recording systems with a status of “under investigation”.

5. Number of current prosecutions = 98

Investigations where the outcome is either charged, summonsed or postal requisition and the case status is still ‘live’

Fraud prosecutions that began in 2021 =31

As above but finalisation date is between 01/01/21 -31/12/2021