Leading police officer says doctors, solicitors and collision victims are working together under motor fraud gangsters

A top police officer says highly-organised gangs involving doctors, solicitors and collision victims are fuelling cash for crash insurance frauds.

Chief Superintendent Geraint Anwyl, of the Association of Chief Police Officers' roads policing section said the organised gangs were even setting up claims management companies to exploit their connections.

Anwyl told the Commons Transport Committee: “They have the entire network of players involved in their own organisations from lawyers to claims management companies.”

There were around 30,000 staged crashed last year, with an average claim of £17,000, according to the Insurance Fraud Bureau.