Insurance industry data sharing deal with police renewed

The Insurance Fraud Bureau (IFB) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) will continue to share intelligence on the operation of these gangs after the data sharing initiative was deemed a success by the two bodies.

The IFB said it pools intelligence from regulators, law enforcement agencies, public bodies and businesses, among others, and uses a "sophisticated analytics platform" to "identify trends and patterns that individual insurers cannot".

Stephen Dalton, head of intelligence at the IFB, said: "IFB operations provide police forces with a valuable platform from which to gather evidence, make arrests and disrupt organised criminal networks. This is demonstrated by the fact that since the IFB was created in 2006 we have worked in partnership with the police to support over 1,000 arrests leading to over 260 years in prison for convicted fraudsters."

"As the IFB extends its remit over the next five years to manage organised fraud across all product lines, this agreement with ACPO is an important tool for the IFB and its integral role within the insurance industry’s counter-fraud strategy," he said.

Data sharing can help with efforts to combat fraud, chief constable Michael Barton of Durham Constabulary said.

"For the UK to become even safer, businesses have to do their bit," he said. "The renewal of this agreement demonstrates that ACPO, by sharing information with the insurance industry, can have a positive impact on the lives of the public by disrupting organised insurance fraud."