Sir, As a former fraud squad officer in a provincial constabulary, I find it no surprise that cases have spiralled (“Police can’t cope with avalanche of fraud cases”, Jan 25). Fraud has always fetched a low priority in policing, and it is easy to understand why. By its very nature fraud is often unseen by those unaffected and is complicated and time-consuming to investigate. There is often an additional cost, with overseas inquiries required, and the investigation can result in just one conviction for one offence, albeit an offence of considerable value. After all, the victims are often the banks or finance companies, and they can afford it, can’t they?

Source: The Times January 26, 2020 23:59 UTC