Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the backlog of cases being investigated by Action Fraud.

The Home Office does not hold information requested in question 146731 on the proportion of cases awaiting investigation. Reports submitted to Action Fraud are evaluated by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) and allocated to local forces. As neither Action Fraud or NFIB possess investigatory powers, the decision on whether to investigate a crime rests solely with local force.

However, data on the number of fraud cases disseminated by the NFIB to police forces are published annually as part of the Home Office’s ‘Crime Outcomes in England and Wales’ publication. The latest data can be found here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingjune2020.