While the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, was re-igniting the controversial issue of whether juries are necessary in fraud cases last week, Home Secretary David Blunkett was making headlines with a long overdue announcement that he intends to establish a National Fraud Squad.
While the investigation and prosecution of fraud is a major priority for specialist agencies such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), HM Customs, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the Special Compliance Office of the Inland Revenue and the Financial Services Authority, it has remained a low priority for the police.
