Assembly raises concerns over lack of action on fraud in Mayor’s plan

Fraud is mentioned just five times in the Mayor’s draft Police and Crime Plan 2021-25, despite accounting for over one-third of all crime in England and Wales.

The Mayor, in his capacity as Police and Crime Commissioner for London, is required by law to produce a plan that sets out his priorities for policing and aims for keeping Londoners safe.

The Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) must send the draft Police and Crime Plan to the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, which is required by statute to review the draft plan and publish a report or recommendations on it.

The response by the Committee, published today, raises concerns about the lack of detailed action to address fraud in London in the draft Plan, suggesting it is not a proportionate response to the scale of fraud in London and its effect on Londoners.

It acknowledges that while violent crime is and should be a top priority for our city, the Plan should include a strategy with new interventions to prevent and reduce fraud in London.

The Committee makes 16 recommendations in other key crime areas, which include:

• The final Plan should include specific commitments to address domestic abuse, including rolling out Domestic Abuse Matters training to all Metropolitan Police staff.
• The final Plan should identify the specific action needed to tackle drugs in London and incorporate the key findings from the Government’s drugs strategy, Mayor’s drugs commission and cannabis diversion trial.
• The final Plan should commit to working with Londoners, through community representatives and groups, to set targets for its measures to increase trust and confidence in policing.

Chairman of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, Susan Hall AM, said:



“Last year was the worst year on record for teenage killings in London, and recent incidents involving the Metropolitan Police have caused great disquiet among the capital’s communities.



“As the Mayor looks ahead to his priorities for policing and crime for the next five years, the overarching themes in his draft Police and Crime Plan are the right ones. However, we do not believe that it goes far enough in tackling the serious issue of fraud.



“Violent crime is and should be a top priority for London. But given the scale of fraud in London, and the number of Londoners it impacts, an action plan with new interventions to prevent victims from being scammed and exploited is needed.



“Rebuilding trust and confidence in the Metropolitan Police will be fundamental to delivering on the Mayor’s objectives. Addressing the entrenched cultural issues should be a top priority for the new Commissioner once appointed and the Plan is an important part of that process for Londoners.”