Local gardaí being trained to investigate fraud and e-crime
The development will enable local reports of fraud to be investigated far more quickly as the central specialist units, the National Economic Crime Bureau and the National Cyber Crime Bureau, are based in Dublin.
Some 44 members last week received a third-level qualification in fraud and e-crime investigations at UCD.
The gardaí come from a number of different regions as well as national units.
Chief Superintendent Pat Lordan of the NECB said this was the first course that was designed by both gardaí, including members from Templemore, and UCD. “The significance of this course is that more gardaí have the skill set for more complicated fraud investigations.”
Chief Supt Lordan said the NECB was a national unit, but could not investigate every fraud throughout the country.
“This is increasing knowledge of gardaí on the ground. This will mean we have people right through the country, in regions and divisions, trained in fraud investigation locally.”
He said this was the first class from the Post-Graduate Certificate in Fraud and E-Crime and the next batch will graduate next year.
He pointed out barristers, insurance experts, as well as staff from the likes of Done Deal and Pay Pal, are involved in training the students.
“By training these guards, it means that, if there is a report of Invoice Redirect Fraud in Bandon, we have people trained to get the investigation up and running locally without relying on us travelling 200 miles from Dublin.”
He said, as is always the case with online fraud, “speed was of the essence” in both reporting a crime and responding to it, as the money taken, is typically transferred to other accounts or other jurisdictions very quickly.
“We now have younger gardaí on the ground who are not afraid to deal with the more complicated frauds and local divisional and district officers will be delighted to have this expertise locally.”
He said fraud and online fraud was constantly increasing:
“You look at the UK and the huge volume of fraud reported, a quite substantial amount never goes further than reported, it never really gets investigated, and that is the same across the EU. We try and target the bigger groups.”
He said the new Cyber Crime Bureau, which separated out from the old Fraud Bureau in September 2016, was increasing in both expertise and staff and that this would continue.
