The Structures for Policing Fraud in the UK : A Critical Assessment

Abstract

Due to the revolutionary development of the Internet and communication technology, fraud and related economic crimes have exploded over the past 30 years. In England and Wales, the likelihood of being a victim of fraud and computer fraud is four times higher than that of robbery. Law enforcement structures in many countries around the world are adapting from traditional crimes such as theft and robbery to new crimes such as fraud, hacking, and ransomware. In the UK, a new millennium began responding to these changes from 2000 to 2010 and new organizations such as National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and Action Fraud to enhance the existing limited capacity for fraudulent crime. The purpose of this study is to explain the changes in the police and judicial system in the UK to cope with the increasing number of fraudulent crimes, and to make a critical evaluation from this important point of view. The UK's fraud prevention system is theoretically very good with the establishment of the Integrated Fraud Reporting Center, Action Fraud, and NFIB, which preemptively blocks fraudulent phone numbers by analyzing and utilizing big data However, it was analyzed as a major problem that the actual manpower and resources administered to the police were very short, and that the priority of the police regarding fraud prevention was much lower than that of other crimes. It is hoped that this study will help to derive useful lessons and policy implications for Korea and other similar countries fighting the explosively increasing tsunami of fraudulent crimes.