Some might question the ability of the system to accurately measure benefit fraud, by definition a hidden crime, but it’s certainly true that in the last few years the government has stepped up efforts to tackle it.
Punishments have got tougher – criminals can face jail and also have to repay any money stolen. Prosecutions have risen since 1997 from 12,000 to more than 52,000 in 2005/6. Benefit fraud investigators have strengthened powers, lie detectors are being trialled in benefit offices and a ‘No ifs, no buts’ campaign is intended to reinforce the message that fraud is a crime.
Is it working? A recent report by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the government wrongly paid out £2.7bn on fraudulent and incorrect claims in 2005/6, prompting criticism that ministers have not yet got on top of the problem. The NAO confirmed some improvements had been made in tackling fraud, but that official errors are still a major concern.
WHAT CAN BE DONE TO TACKLE BENEFIT FRAUD IN BRITAIN?
James Plaskitt, MP, Housing Benefit and Anti-Fraud Minister
“Our investigators have more powers than ever before – if benefit fraud is suspected we can check bank statements, household bills and, if necessary, carry out surveillance. We are also using increasingly sophisticated methods in tracking suspected benefit thieves. The recent introduction of Voice Risk Analysis (VRA) technology is another weapon in the battle against benefit fraud.
“Members of the public also have a part to play. They regularly help to identify benefit cheats by reporting them to our national Benefit Fraud Hotline. Calls to the hotline show how strong public support for our fraud campaign is. During 2005/6, more than 200,000 calls were received.”
Xanthe Pitt, solicitor, Bullivant & Partners
“In my experience, people fall into three categories. There are those who deliberately set out to defraud, which is pure criminality. There are those who are living on the margins and for whom benefits make a huge difference, but who take the occasional bit of unofficial extra work. Then there are a lot of people who just slip easily and unintentionally into low-level fraud, maybe because their circumstances change and they don’t notify the benefit office.
“We need more publicity about the benefits people are entitled to. Instead of beating them about the head, it would be worth having an information campaign saying, if your circumstances change, you may be committing an offence.”
Dewi Hughes, magistrate
“The people who pay workers unofficially are the ones who should be targeted as a priority. The government ads target the cheats, but they don’t focus on the people who are knowingly helping them to cheat. If they could get these ‘employers’ into court and deal with them seriously, then that would send a strong message.
“We’ve also got to do something to deter people from cheating in the first place. To do this you have to get them young, to start in schools. If a child sees their parent claiming benefits fraudulently, they may well do the same when they hit 16 or 17 – we need to show them why it’s wrong.”
Reformed cheat Eric Allison, now the Guardian’s prison correspondent and an author
“I’m a journalist now, but I went to prison for seven years for printing forged giros. I think serious benefit fraud should be treated as a normal crime. It should be dealt with in the same way as credit card and bank fraud. But a lot of it happens at a much lower level. You get a lot of single parent families where the mother will do a modest job such as cleaning just to get a little extra money. These women live in fear of being caught. For them, the answer is to make sure benefits provide a decent living income.”
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