Abstract
This Rogue Trader fraud study examines questionnaire data from 26 England and Wales police force intelligence branches (FIB) and trading standards focus group data. Findings highlight police disinclination to investigate and prosecute rogue trader ‘fraud’ due to its low priority; the complexity of level two criminality and stretched police resources, all exacerbated by poor application of the Fraud Act 2006. Placing artifice crimes on separate NPCC portfolios reduces the scope to identify patterns in crime series offending, fragmenting the intelligence picture. Whilst this crime lacks an enforcement arm and straddles trading standards and police remits, rogue trader remains ‘nobody’s problem’.
Highlights
There is no recognised definition of ‘Doorstep Crime’
Police officers consider that training for control room staff, frontline operational police officers10 and supervisors is pivotal in improving the investigation of rogue trader offences
63% of police officers consider that trading standards are largely responsible for educating the police either solely or linking in with police force Force Intelligence Branches (FIB)’s
Summary
There is no recognised definition of ‘Doorstep Crime’ Both distraction burglary and rogue trader offences are ‘doorstep’ crimes, referred to as ‘artifice crimes’ because such methods often involve deceiving the victim by the use of a falsehood (a trick or a lie) (Thornton et al, 2003) on the ‘doorstep’. Rogue trading is defined as any incident where individual(s) target a consumer, deliberately overcharging for unsatisfactory goods and/or services. This includes charging for unnecessary work, damaging property in order to obtain money or work, charging for work not carried out, leaving work unfinished and using intimidating behaviour in order to extort money (Barratt, 2012: 6; ACTSO, 2015, as cited in Day, 2017). The offence includes not providing a service, providing a shoddy service, over-charging or inflating the price (Lister and Wall, 2006; Phillips, 2017)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
