City scam fighters welcomed

8:30am Friday 5th September 2008

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A NEW regional crime-fighting team in York has been welcomed by politicians, despite concerns local tax-payers may end up footing the bill in three years.

As previously reported in The Press, a new scam-busting squad is to be set up in York, to investigate frauds and scams across the whole of Yorkshire and the Humber.

At a meeting last night, City of York Councillors hailed the scheme, which is being funded by a three-year Government grant of £750,000. But they voiced fears that when the funding ran out, it may have to be paid for out of local tax-payers’ pockets.

Dave Taylor, of the Greens, said: “This is a great initiative and we should congratulate the Government for this. But sometimes there is money to set these things up, then it is not continuing and there is an issue there.”

Couns Ken King and Joe Watt, of Labour and the Conservatives respectively, asked what would happen after the three-year scheme was completed.

Andy Hudson, the council’s assistant director of neighbourhoods and community safety, said if there were no more Government money, the local councils involved would have to decide whether to continue supporting it.

Coun Ann Reid, of the Lib Dems, said: “We will cross that bridge when we come to it.” She said setting up the team in York was to be welcomed. Interviews have already been held for the team, which will consist of a manager and three investigators. They will work across the region, to combat major scams. Trials in three other regions of England have proved a major success, with £3 million saved for customers, £2 million of criminal assets seized, and an estimated £16 million of fraud uncovered.