Minister for the Constitution, Chloe Smith, today met with senior counter-fraud experts from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States as they attend the first ever International Public Sector Fraud Symposium in London to share experience and expertise in tackling fraud in the public sector.
According to the latest Crime Survey of England and Wales fraud is now the most prevalent crime in the UK, and within the public sector the loss from fraud is estimated to cost the UK taxpayer between £31 billion and £49 billion a year.
The UK is leading efforts to identify and stamp out fraud, and building on the strength of our strategic Five-Eye partners Minister Smith hosted a roundtable to share best practice and explore the mutual challenges this kind of fraud presents to developed democracies.
Minister for the Constitution, Chloe Smith MP, said:
The UK Government is already taking proactive and rigorous steps to tackling public sector fraud.
This is demonstrated by the National Fraud Initiative which has helped detect and prevent the most public sector fraud in its history in the last two years – over £275 million.
Today, I hosted the first International Fraud Symposium to build on the progress we are making in this area, and to develop our work with global partners.
Let me be clear: anyone committing fraud is stealing directly from the UK taxpayer and is diverting vital resources from much needed public services. This government will do everything it can to root out fraudsters and put a stop to their activities.
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