News Article - 28 November 2007
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Financial crime should be a priority for law enforcement, according to the British Bankers' Association (BBA).

Following a much-publicised error by HM Revenue and Customs, where discs with information about child benefit recipients were lost, the BBA claims the issue is of high importance.

The discs contained confidential details such as names, addresses, national insurance numbers and banking details of around 25 million claimants.

Chief executive of the association Ms Knight told the BBA's fifth annual conference on financial crime that there is evidence that financial crime is linked to other forms of corruption such as drugs and people trafficking.

She said that it was "quite extraordinary" that despite the industry taking so many steps to prevent fraud and anti-money laundering, the Home Office had not set it as a priority for the police.

"It is clear that [the] government has not yet accepted properly the case for making fraud and financial crime a priority for law enforcement in its own right," she said.

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