New inquiry form gives insurers access to crime information
Insurers and police have reached a deal that is expected to provide a significant boost in the industry's fight against fraud.
The Association of British Insurers (ABI) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) have agreed a code of behaviour under which insurers will be able to request information from police and are guaranteed a response.
Although there has been a protocol for communication between insurers and police in place since 1978, relations have often been frosty.
Insurers and their service companies complained that police were unhelpful in dealing with fraud investigations, while the police said they did not have the resources to deal with the amount of inquiries from insurers.
However ABI anti-fraud head Debra Weeks said the ABI and ACPO would release a standard information request form for insurers to which ACPO will ensure a police reply.
Weeks said the form would be available in the next few months.
She said the ABI had been working on an improved relationship with police for at least two years.
"Both sides were getting bogged down and information exchange relied on personal relationships rather than official protocol," Weeks said.
"Inevitably it depended on particular resources within particular stations so it was patchy."
Claims Management and Adjusting (CMA) director Philip Swift welcomed the move.
The motor and road traffic accident specialists confirm every one of the 600 claims they handle each month has been reported to the police.
He said that on average, the specialists seek further information on eight of those cases.
"Response from the police is mixed, from very good to very bad," Swift said.
"From one area we get a fantastic two-page report, others are just belligerent or jobsworths.
"Usually, if the police have an interest in what you're doing, they're very keen to co-operate."
