Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of reports to Action Fraud are referred to a (a) local police force and (b) Regional Organised Crime Unit.

In the period up to March 2018 Action Fraud recorded 277,561 crimes (Source: ONS – April 17 to March 18). The National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB), which analyses crimes recorded by Action Fraud, cannot directly task Regional Organised Crime Units.

In light of which crimes are allocated to forces as per the rules set out in the Home Office Counting Rules. In the same period (April 17 to March 18) the NFIB disseminated 53,574 crimes to Police forces (a), a further 120 crimes were sent direct to Regional Organised Crime Units as a result of the NFIB being aware of an ongoing investigation which was being undertaken by them.

A considerable number of the crimes will have been perpetrated by the same criminal group.