Briefing: A day in the life of an Ifed detective sergeant

By Oliver Gent

The spectrum of insurance fraud is broad. As such, each operational detective sergeant in the City of London Police’s Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (Ifed) oversees a vast array of cases – these range from dismantling a false claim undermined by a social media post, to tackling a complex organised criminal network that has an international component.

There are four operational detective sergeants in Ifed, who each oversee a team of investigators.

A challenge for fraud detectives is the nuanced nature of the evidence we deal with.

Our colleagues in more traditional areas of crime investigation often deal with eyewitnesses, fingerprints and DNA hits. In contrast, an insurance fraud investigator’s evidence tends to lie hidden in communications data or reams of financial records.

Case study

One case, which was referred to Ifed in April 2022, involved multiple fraudulent home insurance claims worth a total of £13,000. As with many cases, we saw at its heart a possibly genuine insurance claim, which had grown into a series of false claims.

These suspicious claims were supported by fake invoices and documents about damaged artwork in need of restoration and blown circuits on expensive electrical appliances.

The investigator involved in this case diligently picked apart the fraudulent documents and evidenced them accordingly.

He prepared an application for a search warrant, which I proofread and sent to a detective inspector for review and endorsement. The application was then sent to a court and, after several questions from the presiding judge, granted.

Warrants to search suspects’ homes and business premises are not granted haphazardly. The state and its agents rightly set a high bar before being allowed such intrusive access. If we feel that we do not have enough evidence to satisfy this standard, an application will not be sought.

The suspects in this case were a married couple living in an affluent part of the Midlands. When the search warrant was being executed in June 2023, one of the suspects was located at the residence and arrested. They were interviewed and bailed, pending further enquiries.

Their partner then contacted us and revealed that he was abroad on a business trip that was expected to last several months.

At this point, the investigation took on an international dimension and we made enquiries with the relevant embassy to confirm the truthfulness of his account and the expiry date of his visa.

The man employed a legal team and we arranged for him to attend a voluntary interview with officers at a police station in London in October 2023. He made full admissions to the offences during the interview and made it clear that his partner had not been involved.

Interestingly, he breezily stated that he recognised the interviewing officers as he had watched the search warrant on his mobile phone, which was linked to covert cameras at his residence.

We organised a repayment plan for the man to pay back the money he had received from the victim insurance companies. Undoubtedly, having to employ a private legal firm would have left the man considerably out of pocket too.

As he was of previous good character, he received a formal police caution for fraud by false representation in August 2024. He was then led through the custody block to have his fingerprints and DNA taken.

Each day is different

No two days are the same for Ifed officers and this variety keeps the team fresh and energised.

My team work hard to disrupt and deter criminals, as well as conduct objective and balanced investigations. Ifed will always look to protect innocent members of the public and businesses.