A centralised fraud team made up of 30 officers has been agreed in the wake of a review of how the force deals with the crime, Thames Valley Police said.

The news came as the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary warned that many fraud victims were still receiving a ‘poor service’ from the police and were being ‘denied justice’.

In a new report, the watchdog said that fraud continued to be treated as a low priority by forces. Thames Valley was one of the forces inspected as part of the report, along with the south east regional organised crime unit.

They said a ‘fundamental problem’ was the difference between the amount of fraud reported to police and the resources given to it.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said it took fraud ‘very seriously’ and would always prioritise crimes that affect the most vulnerable.

“The Thames Valley Police Economic Crime Unit has recently collaborated with the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit to increase our capability in investigating and protecting victims of fraud,” he said.

“Additionally, Thames Valley Police has carried out a full service improvement review in respect of its response to fraud and as a result of this funding has been agreed for a new central fraud team consisting of over 30 officers which will be dedicated to the investigation of fraud.

“Thames Valley Police is also extremely active in fraud prevention and financial safeguarding through operation Signature, where we work closely with partners to reach out and educate people on how to protect themselves from fraud.”

HM Inspector of Constabulary Matt Parr said: “The scale of fraud has not diminished – in fact it has increased during the pandemic – and it needs to become more of a priority for police forces.

"The police and other agencies should come together to prevent and protect the public from fraud, more officers should be working on it, and there should be more investigations into it. All this would lead to more victims receiving the service and the justice they are entitled to.”

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