Crime and Policing

A nationwide fraud crackdown led by City of London Police saw 438 people arrested and £19m seized.

The month-long Operation Henhouse was hailed by officers as resulting in a “record” number of arrests, with a 52 per cent increase on the previous year.

An £80,000 Porsche and a £70,000 BMW have been seized by Lancashire Police and the North-West Regional Organised Crime Unit, following a national crackdown on fraud.

The National Crime Agency said that more than 400 people were arrested during the crackdown, which was coordinated by the National Economic Crime Centre and City of London Police.

UK Police crack down on fraud, arrest hundreds of suspects and seize millions in assets as part of Operation Henhouse.

In a concerted effort to combat the growing amount of fraud across the UK – the vast majority of which takes place online – law enforcement agencies, including Police Scotland, have made significant strides in a UK-wide operation called Operation Henhouse, resulting in the arrest of over 400 suspects and the seizure of £19 million in cash and assets.

TWO million pounds worth of assets have been frozen, and 15 arrests have been made as part of a month long intensification period in February 2024 under Operation Henhouse, led by the Serious Economic Crime Unit within Essex Police.

Essex Police’s Economic Crime Unit investigate offences which include romance scams, online market place scams, rogue traders, investment scams, bribery and corruption.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched a new investigation into an alleged £76m fraud involving luxury care homes.

The anti-fraud agency raided two sites in St Leonard’s, Dorset, and Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and made three arrests today.

The investigation into the UK registered property developer, the Carlauren Group, which collapsed into administration in November 2019.

The Home Secretary has hailed a pledge by world leaders to unite to fight fraud as a “massive step forward” in efforts to crack down on the crime.

The agreement was signed as representatives from governments of the Five Eyes intelligence partnership – the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – as well as those from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore and South Korea attended a summit in London.

The UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has indicated that it intends to utilise existing but less commonly used powers to grant immunity notices to offenders who assist in its cases, and support reduced sentences to defendants who provide evidence to enable other prosecutions.

In parallel, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stated that firms should expect more assertive supervision and enforcement, that they will speed up investigations and that firms will be increasingly named when an enforcement investigation is opened.

https://www.scotsman.com/business/fraud-investigations-look-likely-to-be-stepped-up-tom-stocker-4537899

On 13 February 2024, Nick Ephgrave gave his first public speech as Director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Mr Ephgrave celebrated the SFO’s recent victories, the biggest ever deferred prosecution agreement with Airbus, worth €1bn, the £280m prosecution of Glencore and the prosecution of a former solicitor for tipping off his client about a money laundering investigation.

A former secretary of the West Mercia Police Federation has been charged with fraud.

West Mercia Police said that Jamie Harrison, 53, of Worcester Road, Droitwich, faces 17 counts of fraud – in connection to the alleged misappropriation of federation members’ funds, and abuse of hospitality, between 2010 and 2018.

https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2024/02/16/former-police-federation-secretary-charged-with-fraud/

Nick Ephgrave’s first major speech since taking the top job at the Serious Fraud Office took in whistleblowing, disclosure and new investigative techniques.

The new director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), Nick Ephgrave, has outlined his vision for the agency in his first public speech . Speaking yesterday (13 February) at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London, Ephgrave said he was committed to building a strong, dynamic and pragmatic authority that can tackle the most serious or complex cases of fraud, bribery and corruption.