Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has of the adequacy of the response times of Action Fraud.

Victims in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are encouraged to report these crimes directly to Action Fraud, the centralised reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. Those in Scotland should report directly to Police Scotland, via the 101 service.

It is vital that victims of fraud have the confidence to come forward and know that their case will be dealt with.

The City of London Corporation (as the Police Authority for the City of London Police) commissioned an independent review by Sir Craig Mackey QPM into the standards, culture and management of Action Fraud. The findings and recommendations of that review were published on 24^th January on the City of London Police Authority’s website, currently available at https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/assets/About-us/action-fraud-report.pdf

The review highlights the need to improve the victim experience, with a focus on answering times, the time callers spend waiting in queues and the percentage of calls that are answered. The City of London Police are addressing Sir Craig’s recommendations regarding Action Fraud and the NFIB, working with the City of London Corporation, the National Crime Agency and the Home Office.

City of London Police transparently publish their response times. These are currently available at: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/fraud-stats. We monitor these stats closely, working with City of London Police to understand any monthly drops in response times.