Pimpernel closes in on elusive fraudsters, as MPA Chair calls for more private sector help to reduce crime

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18 October 2001

More imaginative ways of funding police services should be found if tackling crime and the fear of crime is to be truly effective, Toby Harris, Chair of the Metropolitan Police said today.

Speaking at the launch of the Pimpernel project, a joint initiative to fight vehicle finance fraud by the Metropolitan Police and the Finance and Leasing Association, he said:

"This scheme, funded entirely by the private sector, is a truly innovative partnership approach to crime fighting, and one from which we can all learn.

"The police are able to concentrate on an area of criminality that might otherwise be largely ignored due to financial constraints and more pressing priorities.

"An impressive spin off already identified is that the arrest of fraudsters has led to more serious crimes being cleared up, including the arrest of drug dealers.

"The finance and leasing companies benefit from the recovery of their property and the conviction of the people who defrauded them in the first place.

"With a little lateral thinking, the police and the private sector should be able to come up with some equally successful ideas that reduce crime and increase commercial viability."

The initiative is officially launched as a pilot in London from today and had previously run for three years on Merseyside.

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