Forty-nine fraudsters have been convicted in court since IFED was launched in January 2012

Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) detectives investigating fraudulent claims for medical treatment have arrested a man in Portsmouth making this the unit’s 400th arrest.

The unit was launched almost two years ago in January 2012 and is headed up by DCI Dave Wood.

In that time 118 fraudsters have been handed a police caution, while 49 have been convicted in court.

And tens of thousands of pounds have been confiscated from insurance fraudsters.

DCI Wood said: “Four hundred arrests in under two years is evidence of how IFED has stayed true to its primary objective – targeting the fraudsters and their criminal operations that have taken millions from the industry and are responsible for all of us having to pay higher premiums.”

IFED recently launched a campaign to raise awareness about ghost broking and its unit’s detectives have also appeared in the BBC series Claimed and Shamed.

The ABI and Lloyd’s of London have committed to continue funding IFED until December 2014. A review of this support is expected early in the new year.