National Policing Strategy

for Fraud, Economic and

Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028

Version 1. 2023
Foreword
As such, I am pleased to announce this new 5-year
Pete O’Doherty police strategy for fraud, economic and cyber
T/Commissioner, crime. This strategy presents a new mission to
City of London Police,
guide us in our response to these crimes, with a plan
NPCC Coordinator for
Cyber and Economic Crime. and set of objectives for each of the threat areas
with measurable objectives at a local, regional and
national level. It is also important that we implement
an effective approach to performance measurement
in order to ensure that all of our good work is being
The increasing globalisation of goods, people, and captured and reported on.
services, the continued evolution of technology,
and changes in social norms, continue to drive the Victims are at the heart of everything we are
significant threat from fraud, economic and cyber doing and striving to achieve. In 2024, we are
crime towards local communities and businesses. replacing the technology for Action Fraud and
These crimes amount to over half of all recorded the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, to ensure
crime across England and Wales and present a we give victims a more accessible and customer
threat so serious, it calls into question our security friendly service, and ensuring the right crimes are
and stability as a United Kingdom. 21st century disseminated with expediency across policing.
policing faces unprecedented demands in its We have now also implemented the Economic
mission to improve public confidence, and although Crime Victim Care service across every local
some excellent work has taken place already across area. Local police forces have an important role
policing, more must be done to better prioritise in investigating reports of fraud and cyber crime
our response to fraud, wider economic crime and that are made to Action Fraud, and in working
cyber crime. across local communities in providing advice and
guidance, helping people and business to protect
These crimes are complex, where a significant level themselves, and pointing them towards other
of planning and activity often happens overseas services where needed. Police forces will be better
meaning that traditional methods employed by supported by the City of London Police and other
law enforcement agencies won’t always work in partners to help them achieve this. Disruption
reducing the threat, protecting people and bringing and PURSUE capabilities that now exist in every
offenders to justice. A new response is required Regional Organised Crime Unit and nationally
with all relevant partners across all sectors working within the City of London Police, need to work
as a single well-coordinated system where it: helps with the National Economic Crime Centre and
the public protect itself through clear prevention other partners in order better identify, disrupt and
messaging; works with businesses to help them pursue those more serious criminals and networks
use technology and automation to prevent that targets multiple victims who live across the
opportunistic criminality at the source; performs UK. We must also be proactive in working to
better intelligence collection to enable law improve prevention messaging, using our existing
enforcement better target and pursue offending; protect network in cyber, and implementing a new
and implements new legislation to equip partners protect network for fraud.
with the tools they need. The government is taking
this seriously and has now made a significant I am confident that this strategy for policing
investment into the system to help achieve these will ensure we provide a much better service to
endeavours, for example through its fraud reform victims, begin to thwart the threat from fraud,
programme, and this includes a notable investment economic and cyber crime, and be proactively
into policing to help improve our response. offensive and robust in our approach.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 2
Purpose
Improve the UK policing response to
fraud, economic and cyber crime
The aim of this strategy is to achieve an improvement of the UK
policing response to fraud, economic and cyber crime through the
delivery of Key Cross Cutting Strategic Objectives supported by the
Key Cross Cutting Enabling Commitments:-

Key Cross Cutting Strategic Objectives

Improve outcomes Proactively pursue Protect people and

for victims. offenders. businesses from the threat
of fraud, economic and
cyber crime.

Key Cross Cutting Enabling Commitments

We will We will attract, We will implement We will improve

innovate through recruit, support governance the use of data and
collaborations. and retain our to improve technology.
people. performance and
co-ordination.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 3
Teams within forces, Regional Organised Crime Each objective links to a nationally set
Units (ROCUs) and national teams all have commitment for policing, and is translated into a
objectives under these cross cutting areas. ‘4 P’ (PREVENT, PROTECT, PREPARE, PURSUE)
Delivering improvements within the functions will format, with deliverables for each threat area
allow policing to achieve the targets and aims set under fraud, money laundering and asset recovery,
out in the HMG Fraud Strategy, National Cyber and cyber crime.
Strategy and Economic Crime Plan 2.

PURSUE PREVENT PROTECT PREPARE

Prosecute and Prevent people Increase protection Prepare for when
disrupt people from engaging against the harm crime occurs
engaged in criminal in criminal activity. of crime. Protect and mitigate the
activity. individuals, impact. Reduce
organisations and the impact of
systems, making it criminality where it
harder for crime to takes place.
occur.

Performance measures have been set against each objective, all of which will
enable policing to achieve the targets set by the Home Office:

Fraud
To cut fraud by 10% from 2019 levels, down to 3.33 million frauds by the end
of Parliament.

Money Laundering and Asset Recovery

Uplift the law enforcement response to money laundering, by improving people
capacity, skills capability and technology to increase the prevention, detection, and
disruption of money laundering and the recovery of criminal assets.

Cyber Crime
All victims who report cyber crime to receive PROTECT advice and all cyber
crimes to be investigated where there are viable lines of enquiry.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 4
 The Evolving Threat Picture
Fraud, economic and cyber crime pose a significant Fraud by Abuse of Position of Trust, and Cheque,
threat to the UK and are increasing in volume and Plastic Card and Online Bank Account Fraud. This
complexity. Aided by developing technologies, is due to a combination of factors, including losses,
the UK is a global target for offenders residing in emotional impact on the victim, and other risk
international jurisdictions. Law enforcement face factors such as victim vulnerability.
an increasingly complex challenge to uncover the
identity of these criminals disrupt their offending, The continuous pace and development of new
and bring them to justice. technologies such as artificial intelligence and the
emergence of the Metaverse, will inevitably lead to
Key to our success is ensuring that citizens and changes in the attack methodologies used by fraud
businesses are armed with the information they and cyber criminals. Policing needs to explore
need to protect themselves. innovative new ways of working to ensure that our
response keeps pace with technology.
In addition, policing has a responsibility to share
information from victims and investigations with
industry partners to enable them to strengthen The NFIB National Assessment 2022/23 has
their response and ‘stop and block’ criminals from identified that AI is almost certainly already
using UK platforms to commit offences. being used in offending and will increase
over the next year. With the use of AI
In 2022/23 £2.48 billion in UK financial losses programming to automate social engineering,
from fraud were reported to Action Fraud – this criminals will be able to target wider
is an increasing figure and an under-estimation audiences more effectively and efficiently.
due to underreporting. The highest harm threat This will make it harder for the public to spot
areas continue to be Payment Diversion Fraud, when they are being targeted by criminals.
Courier Fraud, Romance Fraud, Investment Fraud,

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 5
What does the Fraud Strategy say about the threat
In the year ending December 2022, 1 in 15 adults Review of Defence, Security and Diplomacy. The
were victims of fraud. Eighteen per cent of those Royal United Services Institute has also identified
victimised became victims more than once. The evidence that fraud has funded terrorist activity.
sums of money involved are staggering. The total For example, militants have committed frauds on
cost to society of fraud against individuals in UK victims to fund their participation in the Islamic
England and Wales was estimated to be at least State in Syria Plus links to other areas of serious
£6.8 billion in 2019-20. This includes the money and organised crime.2
lost by victims, the cost of caring for victims,
and the costs of recovery, investigation and The Fraud Strategy set targets and objectives for
prosecution of fraudsters.1 policing and the wider system. Under the Pursue
Fraudsters pillar the aims are to reduce fraud
The volume of fraud, its capacity to undermine and money laundering, increase criminal justice
public confidence in the rule of law, and its outcomes and disruptions against offenders,
potential negative effect on the UK’s financial and increase asset denial activities. Under the
reputation, means it should be considered Empower People pillar the aims are to improve
a national security threat. Correspondingly, communications and support for victims. Under
the importance of tackling fraud to stop the the Block Fraud pillar the aims are to work with
exploitation of the UK’s financial systems was industry to stop fraud.
recognised in the 2023 refresh of the Integrated

What does the Economic Crime Plan 2 say about the threat
The Economic Crime Plan 2 launched in March year through the UK or through UK corporate
2023. The Fraud Strategy sits underneath the structures using High End Money Laundering
ECP2, with ‘cutting fraud’ being one of the methods.4 It is a realistic possibility that over £100
objectives of the plan. Within it are also objectives billion is laundered through and within the UK or
under the pillar of ‘Reduce Money Laundering UK registered corporate structures each year using
and Recover Criminal Assets’. Within these HEML methods, with CBML highly likely to be over
commitments are a number of deliverables for £12 billion each year.5
policing – all of which contribute to the over
arching aim of the pillar. Money laundering is the lifeblood of organised
crime, allowing organised crime groups to enjoy
Economic crime poses a significant threat to our the proceeds of their harmful criminal activity.
national security and the prosperity of the UK. The Understanding its methods and vulnerabilities is
Government’s refresh of the Integrated Review crucial to stopping money laundering activity. The
reaffirms the significant impact that economic majority of criminal cash generated in the UK is
crime and illicit finance have across many national linked to illicit drugs and excise fraud; crimes that
security threats.3 damage our society and economy. Money laundering
weakens the credibility of our financial system and
The NCA assesses it is a realistic possibility that can support unfair business practices that undermine
over £100 billion pounds is laundered every fair competition in our economy as well as overseas.6

1 Fraud Strategy: stopping scams and protecting the public June 2023 4 Economic Crime Plan 2 March 2023
2 Fraud Strategy: stopping scams and protecting the public June 2023 5 Economic Crime Plan 2 March 2023
3 Economic Crime Plan 2 March 2023 6 Economic Crime Plan 2 March 2023

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 6
What does the National Cyber Strategy say about the threat
The UK’s National Cyber Strategy outlines key share information on threats. Law enforcement
areas of responsibility for law enforcement. will assist by ensuring the highest-level threats
The vision set within this is to “ensure that core are responded to and investigated robustly,
government functions - from the delivery of using appropriate capable resources. There is a
public services to the operation of National commitment to ensure capacity and capability is
Security apparatus - are resilient to cyber attack, developed delivering an effective response to the
strengthening the UK as a sovereign nation and threat posed to the UK from the most complex
cementing its authority as a democratic and forms of cyber crime.
responsible cyber power”.7
Policing will also continue to deliver an improved
The Strategy outlines key areas of PURSUE focus victim experience and increased public confidence
for law enforcement. ensuring that all victims of Computer Misuse Act
(CMA) offending will receive an acceptable level of
In Pillar Five (Countering Threats), Objective 2, service or investigation which will be delivered via
there is a commitment to detect, investigate and local and regional capabilities.

7 Government Cyber Security Strategy 2022–2030 (publishing.service.gov.uk)

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 7
 A New Strategic
Response
This is the first time we have produced a national 5 year strategy
for policing, to support the delivery of objectives against the three
threat areas of fraud, economic and cyber crime. We are doing so in
recognition of the need for these three threat areas to align and work
in unison to respond more effectively and efficiently to the threats.

ECONOMIC AND CYBER POLICING HQ

In order to align the national responsibilities across fraud,
economic and cyber crime, the City of London Police are
developing an Economic and Cyber Police Headquarters
(ECPHQ). The ECPHQ seeks to bring together the
coordination of national policing support for these three
threat areas, and to capitalise on synergies, such as strategy
setting & performance frameworks. The ECPHQ will
coordinate engagement, support and organisational learning
nationally to provide consistency for policing.

The governance structures in place for these three areas have

commonalities, but they are distinct crime threat areas with reporting
and oversight in separate departments of the Home Office and
NCA. This strategy sets the commitments for policing to feed into
the system leadership and governance, and provides a performance
framework that will fit the requirements for all three areas.

We have taken the objectives set for policing out of the Fraud
Strategy and Economic Crime Plan 2, as well as those laid out in the
NECC Strategic Action Plans for fraud and money laundering.

An element of this strategy is the successful delivery of new teams,

resources and processes set out under the national strategies, and
funded by the National Cyber Programme, Fraud Reform Programme,
and Anti Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Programme.

Attached to each of the commitments is a high level national

measure that we will pull into a national performance framework
that will be owned and populated by the new performance
team within National Lead Force capabilities. The performance
framework set will also measure the delivery of resource and
benefits set by the programmes and monitored by the Home Office
and Cabinet Office.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 8
Key Cross Cutting
Objectives
Improve outcomes for victims
Fraud, economic and cyber crime offending is growing in the UK.
The policing response and outcomes for victims need to improve in
line with the growing threat, though in the area of fraud, criminal
justice outcomes have been declining. We need to reduce the harm
inflicted on victims and improve the outcomes for those that fall
prey to the ruthless offenders targeting them. With this needs to
come an improvement in the public confidence in our response to
these threats.

The de-prioritisation of fraud against other areas of serious and

organised crime by police and prosecutors, coupled with reductions
in police budgets, has led to a reduction in the volume of criminal
justice outcomes against fraudsters over the past ten years. The
Fraud Strategy and Economic Crime Plan 2 have called this out and
set targets for policing to reverse this trend and increase disruption
through criminal justice and alternative outcomes against criminals
targeting UK victims for fraud, economic and cyber crime.

Targeting offenders not only disrupts their offending but acts as a

deterrent, showing others that engaging in this type of criminality
will result in serious consequences – both financially through the
denial of their assets and in terms of criminal justice outcomes.

Action Fraud, and the technology that sits behind it, is being
replaced by a new, innovative service that will radically improve
the victim experience as well as provide a system that uses cutting
edge technology to analyse, link and identify trends, offenders and
enabling activity.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 9
FRAUD AND CYBER CRIME REPORTING AND ANALYSIS SERVICE (FCCRAS)
The current Action Fraud/NFIB system is being replaced in 2024. The next-
generation Fraud and Cyber Crime Reporting and Analysis Service (FCCRAS) is
a £150m transformation programme that will replace the existing system and
services for reporting and analysis of fraud and cyber crime in England, Wales
and Northern Ireland.

The new service will:-

Make it easier for everyone Let victims know what has Protect more people and
to report fraud and cyber happened with their report, businesses from fraud and
crime, taking the burden out including when reporting has cyber crime through giving
of reporting and speeding up aided others to be protected. targeted and timely advice
the time it takes to report. on how to avoid the latest
fraud threats.

Significantly improve the speed and quality Block and disrupt crime through providing
of information provided to law enforcement real time information to institutions and
partners, boosting their chances of successful organisations who can taken down fraudulent
prosecutions. websites, activities and bank accounts which
we know are enabling criminal activity.

Key to the success of this new service will be the delivery of improved
intelligence packages out into policing. Quality investigative packages
will enable force level policing teams to also improve their outcome
rate and response to victim reported fraud and cyber-crime. A new
team delivered through AMLAR funding will also enable money
laundering offenders linked to these reports to be targeted.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 10
 We commit to the objectives listed
Improved victim care and a recognition below to achieve this.
of the harm of fraud, economic and
cyber crime on a victims emotional and
Fraud
physical well-being is also needed. Victims
cannot feel that they report a crime and it
‘disappears’ into a system where they don’t • We will increase the response and
receive any response. Increased investment outcomes linked to NFIB / FCCRAS crime
in NECVCU through the Fraud Reform dissemination packages.
Programme has moved us forward in this,
• We will support forces in their ambition to
and the new reporting system will provide
have sufficient resources and capabilities
victims with updates on what has happened
in place to effectively deal with the threat
to their report and any disruptive outcome
of fraud in accordance with the Strategic
which will also improve confidence in a
Policing Requirement and the NLF Force
system that we acknowledge is currently
Improvement Plan.
broken.

Frontline policing has a key role to play

in this – training our officers in how to Money Laundering
respond to a victim of fraud and cyber
crime, to recognise the impact of this type • We will increase criminal justice outcomes
of victimisation and to ensure that the and disruptions against money laundering
correct advice, and safeguarding measures offenders.
are applied is also vital.
• We will seize and restrain more criminal
To achieve success in improving outcomes assets through increased asset denial activity.
for victims will involve a multi-layered
• We will provide training to policing on how
approach;
to investigate and seize crypto assets.

• We will ensure accurate records of

Forces need to engage with and crypto assets seizures are maintained and
support victims, as well as increase provided as required.
their response and outcomes linked to
Action Fraud disseminations for cyber
and fraud, and money laundering and
asset recovery outcomes. Cyber Crime

• We will support forces in their ambition

Regional teams need to proactively to have sufficient resources in place to
target offenders, increasing outcomes effectively deal with the threat of cyber
and disruptions against serious in accordance with the Strategic Policing
and organised criminals; including Requirement and the NPCC Cyber Target
increasing assets seized. Operating Model, Tactical Action Plan and
National Performance Framework.

• We will increase the policing response

National teams need to respond to and outcomes linked to NFIB / FCCRAS
high level criminality and escalated crime dissemination packages. We will
cases for fraud and economic crime, ensure full and timely compliance from
as well as lead on proactive activity forces to record disseminations from the
and national victim support. National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB)
appropriately and that subsequent outcomes
are reported back to NFIB correctly.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 11
Proactively pursue offenders (PURSUE)
Improving the response to victims is vital, however to a more proactive and intelligence led approach
in addition to this we want to proactively disrupt to the pursuit and disruption of offenders.
offenders before they are able to target citizens Working alongside the NECC and the NCCU
and businesses in the UK. we are developing new teams and processes to
proactively identify, pursue and disrupt offenders
Lack of investment and resourcing within the and enablers.
areas of fraud, economic and cyber crime has, up
until now, meant that policing has had to take a A shift to more proactive intelligence-led
predominantly reactive approach. This has been investigations will increase the amount of national,
especially true in the area of fraud, where the centrally co-ordinated operational activity. The
demand coming from Action Fraud reporting targeting of enabling technologies and those who
has massively outweighed any capacity to exploit them, has already resulted in high volumes
respond, resulting in the need to apply stringent of actionable intelligence packages disseminated
prioritisation methodologies to victim reports. out into the network and a peak in arrests.
We recognise that this had led to low victim
satisfaction and decreasing levels of criminal The delivery of SARS Intelligence Development
justice outcomes against offenders. teams and the upcoming launch of a new NECC
led Fraud Targeting Cell (FTC) alongside uplifted
Investment into the system under the Fraud national and regional capabilities under the
Reform and Anti Money Laundering and Asset National Fraud Squad means that as a network we
Revery Programmes, as well as continued provision can boost our proactive investigations, whilst also
under the National Cyber Programme, means that improving the reactive response to victim reports
we are now in a position to direct new resources coming into an enhanced Action Fraud.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 12
To achieve these ambitions and ensure that our
investigative teams have packages identifying
targets and criminal enablers we need to improve
and increase the collection, recording and sharing of
intelligence across the network.

From force level to regional and national teams –

we all have to improve our collection and recording
of intelligence so that it flows into the new teams
dedicated to developing proactive packages for
investigation and disruption. This needs to include
more effective use and tasking of covert intelligence
capabilities and resources.

The following deliverables under fraud, money

laundering and cyber will increase the flow of
intelligence into the centre enabling a shift to a
more proactive approach and feed our boosted
investigation teams with target centred packages
to act on.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 13
Objectives have been set for the three threat areas
below to achieve this. Money Laundering

Fraud • We will increase intelligence led proactive

operations and locally developed
operations regarding money laundering
• We will deliver and co-ordinate regional offending linked to serious and organised
Proactive Economic Crime Teams and crime, ensuring the relevant deconfliction
uplifted National Lead Force teams to form safeguards are followed.
part of the National Fraud Squad. The NFS
teams will proactively target fraudsters • We will increase intelligence collected on
and disrupt offending achieving criminal the money laundering threat and record
justice and alternative outcomes. on the appropriate systems. We will task
covert intelligence capabilities to collect
• We will lead the National Fraud Squad money laundering intelligence in line with
to pursue identified high harm offenders NECC set intelligence requirements.
through joint, centrally co-ordinated
national operations and to participate in • We will ensure all Organised Crime
NECC led fraud intensifications throughout Groups and priority individuals have
the year. money laundering recorded within their
criminality where applicable.
• We will support and assist the national
development and implementation of
the Fraud Targeting Cell by contributing
resource and supporting the delivery
Cyber Crime
of systems and processes. We will task
overt and covert intelligence assets to
fill national intelligence requirements set • We will increase intelligence led proactive
by the FTC. We will increase intelligence operations and self development
packages into the system leading to operations regarding CMA offending,
increased proactive operations. ensuring the relevant deconfliction
safeguards are followed.
• We will deliver the Fraud and Cyber Crime
Reporting and Analysis Service (FCCRAS) • We will register all cyber related intelligence
- including the ability to feedback on the appropriate intelligence systems. We
intelligence into the system for further will capture and disseminate operational
development and inclusion in intelligence summaries for key cyber crime operations,
packages. We will ensure intelligence is subject details, associates, identifiers, MO
appropriately recorded and disseminated etc. Including the implementation of a
to assist with all 4P outcomes. closing report system across ROCUs and
forces, for all cyber operations. We will
secure national intelligence capability that
enables the delivery of intelligence and
operational tools.

• We will ensure NCA coordination

documentation on Ransomware
investigations is completed to improve
sharing with similar investigations and
dealing with deconfliction.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 14
Protect people and businesses from the
threat of fraud, economic and cyber crime
In addition to improving outcomes for victims, and Centrally co-ordinated messaging, agreed by system
proactively disrupting offending, we also want to leadership such as the NECC, NCCU, NCSC and
provide UK citizens and businesses with the tools the Home Office can successfully be amplified and
they need to protect themselves. woven into locally delivered PROTECT activity.
Alongside an agreed PROTECT campaigns calendar,
Policing needs to protect people and businesses we can work as a network to push messaging out to
in the UK from the threat of fraud, economic the UK and empower the public to stop themselves
and cyber crime. Arming people and businesses from being successfully targeted.
with adequate protection from the harm of fraud
and cyber crime will both reduce offending and
improve public confidence in policing and UK Force level front line officers need to be
systems more generally. equipped with knowledge of PROTECT
messaging and an ability to identify when
To improve our performance in this area we need and where to deliver it.
consistent delivery of agreed national PROTECT
messaging. This needs to be delivered through a
variety of methods that ensures that those who Regional PROTECT Teams need to liaise with
need it are equipped with the knowledge required the National Network – share best practice
to protect themselves, their families, and their and ensure that messaging pushed out is in
businesses. line with the national campaign.

The PROTECT landscape has been fractured,

with a more mature Cyber PROTECT Network National PROTECT co-ordination is required
delivering both cyber and fraud messaging. to deliver an aligned fraud, economic and
Investment in a National Fraud PROTECT Network cyber crime PROTECT network. Engagement
has brought with it the opportunity to align with the Home Office, NECC, NCCU
these areas and unify the well intentioned, but and other agencies to agree and deliver
potentially confusing messaging being delivered consistent messaging and campaigns.
by many agencies and partners. This new network Central co-ordination and promotion of best
will also focus on additional activity targeting the practices across the network.
recruitment of money mules.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 15
Objectives have been set for the three threat areas below to achieve this.

Fraud Cyber Crime

• We will develop and deliver a centrally • We will deliver NCSC agreed or consistent
co-ordinated National Fraud PROTECT content across the PROTECT network, to
Network that will align with the National ensure consistent messaging against HMG
Cyber PROTECT Network, share best guidance and promoting HMG systems and
practice, and promote local delivery of services.
national messaging.
• We will develop the current PROTECT
• We will deliver agreed and consistent notification processes to ensure a
content across the PROTECT network, consistent approach to both the direct
to ensure consistent messaging in line PROTECT officer taskings and the
with HMG guidance and promoting HMG notifications delivered at scale.
systems and services.
• We will ensure ROCUs and Forces are
• We will deliver victim care and support regularly using Police CyberAlarm to help
to victims of fraud and cyber crime, to support member organisations when
reduce harm of offending and prevent issues are identified and use the data to
re-victimisation. inform and drive PROTECT, PREVENT
AND PURSUE activity. PROTECT Officers
will promote Police Cyber Alarm to all SME
organisations they engage with.
Money Laundering
• We will deliver the new NPCC Cyber
• We will deliver agreed and consistent Resilience Centre (CRC) Model. This
content across the PROTECT network, includes the new Operating Model to
to ensure consistent messaging in line deliver the levels of consistency and
with HMG guidance and promoting HMG assurance required. CRCs and PROTECT
systems and services. officers will work together to support each
other’s work and grow CRC membership.
• We will deliver victim care and support
to victims of fraud and cyber crime, to
reduce harm of offending and prevent
re-victimisation.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 16
Key Cross Cutting
Enabling Commitments
Development and delivery of the below cross cutting
enabling functions will make it possible for policing to
succeed in the Key Strategic Objectives outlined above.

We will innovate through collaborations

Policing cannot effectively deal with the threat of fraud, economic and
cyber crime alone. To succeed in bringing offending levels down, and
protecting victims from the harm of these offences, joint working with
partners from within both government agencies and industry is vital.

Working closely with the NECC and NCCU, we need to explore new
innovative ways of working with industry and partners. Collaborative
working as a whole system and sharing information is vital if we are to
achieve the results we aim for – namely to reduce the harm of fraud,
economic and cyber crime against individuals and businesses in the UK.

Whether this be expanding on the success of industry funded units,

such as the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, exploring
secondment opportunities or participating in NECC led multi-agency
and public private working group activities, policing needs to do more
in this space.
Local and regional partnership working with services and businesses
enables a promotion of national PROTECT messaging and campaigns,
as well as encouraging intelligence flows into policing. We need to
gain and retain the support and trust in policing from local enterprise
and this can be achieved by providing bespoke cyber PROTECT advice
as well as proactively reaching out and engaging regarding local and
regional risk areas.

Nationally, more needs to be done to promote joint working and

sharing of information and intelligence. The new Fraud and Cyber
Reporting and Analysis System will allow for interoperability through
technology, which will lead to better sharing of data and collaboration.
Through the delivery of a National Economic Crime Workforce
Strategy with the NECC, we will be pushing for innovation through
better collaborations, offering more development opportunities for our
staff and paving the way to attracting motivated and skilled people in
to work with us to achieve success against these threats.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 17
We will attract, recruit, support and retain our people
Core to successfully meeting all of the objectives investment to grow capacity in these areas has
in this strategy are our people and ensuring that led to a recognition that we need to do more to
we have teams that are equipped with knowledge attract, upskill and retain our people.
and skills to tackle the complex investigations and
criminal networks that are presented to them. The capacity and capability of our workforce is the
biggest risk we face in achieving the objectives set
We need a diverse, and motivated workforce out in the Fraud Strategy and Economic Crime Plan 2.
driving the ambitions set out in this 5 year strategy.
Policing needs to develop innovative ways of We need to find a way to work with cross
working to ensure that it achieves its goals of government partners and industry to develop
increasing inclusivity and diversity within its innovative working practices, that promote staff
workforce. development whilst also ensuring we have a
pipeline of people in place to fill our roles.
We recognise that our current levels of
representation do not reflect the communities City of London Police with the National Economic
we serve, however we are working on a number Crime Centre have recognised this threat to the
of initiatives to continue to attract people from delivery of national objectives and initiated a
diverse backgrounds into policing. In part we National Economic Crime Workforce Strategy. This
are achieving this through targeted recruitment piece of work has scoped the national issues and
campaigns, but this also extends to ensuring that provided recommendations to resolve these in the
we continue to build an inclusive environment to short, medium and long term. This piece of work is
attract diverse talent and ensure they are well led contained within the ECP2 and will also expand to
and well supported to perform at their best within cover cross system recommendations.
the areas of fraud, economic and cyber crime.

The skills required to effectively deal with fraud, Coupled with this is the continued success
economic and cyber crime can take years to of the Economic and Cyber Crime Academy.
develop and it is recognised that they have a Recognising that the skills required to
market value that public sector budgets cannot investigate fraud, economic and cyber crime
compete with. We can look to industry to better are specialist and complex in a changing
utilise volunteers, and digital specialists who have landscape. The ECCA will ensure that it
an interest in helping us to protect victims and provides a continued evaluation of national
pursue offenders. training needs so that training and continued
development being offered matched the
We have a high level of staff attrition in economic requirements of the system.
and cyber crime, and this coupled with an

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 18
We will implement improved governance to
improve performance and co-ordination
In recognition of the cross overs that exist in the This strategy, and the supporting performance
fraud, money laundering and cyber portfolios and framework make up the initial phase of this
areas of work, City of London Police are looking delivery plan. Once in place, the central hub
to align and deconflict supporting and enabling will co-ordinate strategic engagement and
functions to remove duplication and ensure better communication into national, regional and
efficiency in operational delivery. force level stakeholders, measure and evaluate
performance across fraud, money laundering and
A new central function is being designed to deliver cyber; and provide subject matter expertise and
better co-ordination across the areas of strategy, best practice guidance to the network.
performance, organisational learning and
co-ordination. This will both enable the central co-ordination of
policing activity but also provide a single point
of contact and accountability for both the Home
Office and the NECC into policing.

Key to this is the:-

Delivery and Delivery and Delivery and Delivery and

implementation of implementation implementation implementation of
a 5 year national of a national of a national an organisational
strategy for performance engagement and learning framework
policing across framework for communications to promote best
the areas of fraud, policing across strategy across practice across
economic and the areas of fraud, the areas of fraud, the network in
cyber crime. economic and economic and the areas of fraud,
cyber crime. cyber crime. economic and
cyber crime.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 19
We will improve use of data and technology
Fraud, economic and cyber crime involves the enable improved outcomes for victims and better
exploitation of data and technology in a way that targeting of offenders. ‘Information sharing, data
many other crime types do not. The resulting and technology’ is a cross cutting system capability
complexity and volume of offences poses a real and reform under the Economic Crime Plan 2,
challenge for policing in these areas. and will be supported and delivered by policing
under this commitment. The Fraud and Cyber
We need to keep up with the criminals. Emerging Crime Reporting and Analysis service will be being
threat types and enabling technology – such as delivered in early 2024 and is examining new data
artificial intelligence and the use of the metaverse, sharing partnerships within its design. There will
will create challenges for law enforcement when be an Independent Data Ethics Committee that will
investigating crimes and protecting victims. The provide guidance and scrutiny in this area ensuring
vast quantities of data held within seized devices that all data sharing is achieving a purpose for
also creates huge issues with disclosure framework victims and aiding better outcomes.
for investigators.
This is in addition to the ongoing work being
We are delivering new technology to analyse undertaken by the National Data Exploitation
and use machine learning to predict and identify Centre and NCCU within the NCA and the design
trends in reporting with the new Fraud and Cyber and delivery of the Fraud Targeting Cell, who
Crime Reporting and Analysis Service. This has are building data sets for analysis which will
built within it the ability to continuously improve in provide the system with strategic insights and the
accordance with system need. identification of high harm networked criminal
activity.
We need to explore and innovate with new
technology, using funding opportunities to invest As a system we need to do more push boundaries
in digital services that will allow our investigators in these areas – dedicating resource and time to
and analysts to gain access to and successfully solve data sharing challenges, and providing a
utilise new data and tech opportunities. central co-ordination function that collates best
practice and innovation and promotes it across
Cross agency and industry data sharing and the network. Funding opportunities and bidding
analysis is a vital step in the proactive identification processes need to be utilised to invest in new tech
of high harm individuals and enablers. As a system and digital services, trialling new software that can
we need to find better ways to share this data to help our people in their fight against offenders.

National Policing Strategy for Fraud, Economic and Cyber Crime 2023 – 2028 20
www.cityoflondon.police.uk