“Mind the gap”, progress towards developing anti‐fraud culture strategies in UK central government bodies

Abstract

PurposeThere is increasing guidance for public bodies on the appropriate counter fraud strategies to pursue. One area covered is anti‐fraud culture strategies. Building upon the work of the UK Government's HM Treasury, the purpose of this paper is to assess the extent and quality of anti‐fraud culture strategies in UK central government bodies.Design/methodology/approachBased upon analysis of HM Treasury survey data as well as a survey undertaken by the authors.FindingsThe paper shows that the quantitative data from HM Treasury surveys when compared to the qualitative data also drawn from the authors survey highlights significant numbers of central public bodies with limited anti‐fraud culture strategies.Research limitations/implicationsSome of the responses on screening strategies used by central government bodies varied in the detail offered in response to the authors' survey.Originality/valueProvides much greater depth to the strategies utilised by central government bodies to develop an anti‐fraud culture.