{"id":40508,"date":"2026-04-04T02:32:42","date_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=40508"},"modified":"2026-04-04T02:32:42","modified_gmt":"2026-04-04T02:32:42","slug":"why-britains-most-common-crime-has-been-poorly-investigated-for-decades-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=40508","title":{"rendered":"Why Britain’s most common crime has been poorly investigated for decades | UK News"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Fraud has never been a police priority because, as one detective explained, it doesn’t “bang, bleed or shout” like other crimes. It isn’t sexy, is how some cops put it.<\/p>\n

Fraud is Britain’s most common crime, but it’s been poorly investigated for decades – with only a fraction of cases leading to prosecutions.<\/p>\n

The government and chief constables are now committed to improving fraud investigation and the service to victims of a crime that continues to rise, with an estimated 4.2 million frauds in the year to September 2025.<\/p>\n

It’s taken a long time to get here.<\/p>\n

In 2013, when victim Carolyn Woods<\/a><\/strong> was romance scammed out of \u00a3850,000 – all her money – and left suicidal by notorious conman Mark Acklom<\/a><\/strong>, she was told dismissively to fill in an online form for the official reporting system Action Fraud. Inaction Fraud, she called it.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n \"Conman\n <\/div>
\n Image:<\/span>
\n Conman Mark Acklom
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A subsequent Times undercover investigation of Action Fraud revealed its staff were largely undertrained and uncaring, labelling victims as “morons”.<\/p>\n

Then, a damning report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found victims were being so let down that fraudsters believed they could act with impunity.<\/p>\n

There were few dedicated fraud detectives, and one police force took no action on 96% of fraud cases, even when there was strong evidence and an identifiable suspect.<\/p>\n

Read more from Sky News:
M&S boss issues stark warning over worsening crime<\/a><\/strong>
Choc horror: Why ‘flavour’ bars and small packs are here to stay<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n \"Fraud\n <\/div>
\n Image:<\/span>
\n Fraud victim Carolyn Woods
\n <\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

In another review, Scotland Yard’s former deputy commissioner Sir Craig Mackey found that a lack of proper investment and inadequate technology were hampering police efforts to tackle fraud.<\/p>\n

In our report on conman Ethan Hunt, who was convicted of fraud in which he rented a woman’s home with a fake court document and defaulted on payments, we spoke to several people who claimed he had scammed them.<\/p>\n

Some were told they would need to take action in the civil courts to recover lost money.<\/p>\n

\n
\n