Issue - meetings

The Counter Fraud Manager from The Shared Anti-Fraud Service (SAFS) gave a training presentation to Members on ‘Fighting Fraud in Partnership’. He explained what fraud was and the reasons as to why it was committed, referring to Dr Cressey’s Fraud Triangle.

Members were advised of the essential role they played in protecting the public purse, and were directed to a must read reference book (the link for which had been provided in the presentation slides).

The Counter Fraud Manager explained the membership of SAFS, their joint working partnerships and their capabilities. He provided Members with case studies and confirmed that the training slides would be made available to all Members in the next edition of the Members Information Bulletin.

The Chairman asked why there were not more members of SAFS. The Counter Fraud Manager said that there were other Local Authorities interested in joining, which he hoped would happen as the service was a great model which offered a bespoke service to each Authority.

The Chairman asked for an update on the Fraud Hub. The Counter Fraud Manager said that that there had been IT problems, but that it was in progress, and was a great idea.

The Chairman asked if councils were affected by reputational damage from fraud. The Counter Fraud Manager said that it was a double edged sword, as Authorities needed to acknowledge incidents and put procedures in place to avoid repeat occurrences. He said that in his experience, publicity from fraud incidents was not seen negatively, especially when monies were recovered and/or offenders prosecuted.   

The Chairman thanked the Counter Fraud Manager for his presentation.

RESOLVED – that the presentation be received.