Key takeaways from our UK economic crime leaders’ roundtable

On June 3rd, Clue Software convened a high-level Public Sector Economic Crime Leadership Event at the TLT headquarters in London. Bringing together senior figures from across government, law enforcement, and regulatory bodies, the closed-door session addressed one of the UK’s most pressing challenges: economic crime.

Chaired by Ian Dyson QPM, former Commissioner, City of London Police, distinguished attendees included senior leaders from:  

• City of London Police (COLP) 
• Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) 
• National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) 
• NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) 
• Serious Fraud Office (SFO) 
• Insolvency Service 
• Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) 
• Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) 
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) 
• The Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) 
• TLT

Hosted by Clare Elford, CEO of Clue Software, the event was held under the Chatham House Rule to encourage open, candid discussion and cross-sector collaboration. The day concluded with a private dinner, reinforcing relationships and dialogue among stakeholders committed to combating economic crime.

The following insights reflect the key themes and takeaways shared across sectors during the event. 

Urgency, scale, and public confidence

Economic crime accounts for nearly half of all reported crime in the UK, with estimated public sector losses reaching £59 billion annually. The scale of the threat – from individuals to organised crime groups and state-level actors – poses systemic risks to financial stability and public trust. A shared understanding emerged: economic crime is not a victimless offence, and failure to respond effectively undermines confidence in policing and public services.

The need for crime prevention as the core mission – not just detection and prosecution – was reaffirmed, supported by credible strategies, resourcing, and partnerships.

Technology, AI, and the changing threat landscape

Criminals are adopting advanced technologies at pace, exploiting AI, digital platforms, and commercially available fraud tools. Financial services organisations remain under pressure, often lagging in tech adoption due to regulatory constraints and governance layers.

Key threat trends include a rise in ‘CEO’ and impersonation scams, social engineering powered by AI, and fraud-as-a-service operations. With 80% of fraud now originating online and 70% of it linked internationally, the case for cross-border, tech-enabled collaboration is more urgent than ever.

Civil vs. criminal approaches

There was consensus that disrupting economic crime requires flexible tools – including both civil and criminal powers. Asset tracing, sanctions, and regulatory enforcement are increasingly used to tackle high-impact targets and enablers. However, deploying these tools effectively demands new skill sets, cultural change, and clearer decision-making frameworks across public sector bodies. 

Civil action can deliver faster, more scalable outcomes – particularly in cases involving complex financial structures and international actors – but remains underutilised.

Coordinated disruption and poly-criminality

Strategic case studies, such as Operation Destabilise, highlighted the power of coordinated multi-agency disruption. Targeting crypto-enabled laundering networks linked to ransomware, drugs, and sanctions evasion, the operation resulted in significant arrests, asset seizures, and global enforcement actions.

These examples show the growing convergence of threat types and the critical importance of targeting enablers – individuals, infrastructure, and services – to deliver broader system impact. 

Partnership, talent, and innovation

Across agencies, challenges persist around recruitment, retention, and skills development. Initiatives like the City of London Police’s Economic Crime Academy and secondment programmes and alignment to the Government Counter Fraud Profession were cited as promising models. There is strong support for professionalising economic crime functions and enhancing interoperability across public bodies.

Public-private partnerships emerged as a critical enabler – particularly in complex investigations. Technology platforms like Clue are helping bridge resource gaps, improve intelligence sharing, and accelerate investigations, but more strategic investment and longer-term procurement thinking are needed.

Measuring success and driving change

The event highlighted a shared recognition of the need to better communicate the meaningful impact made by those combating economic crime in the public sector – whether through criminal sanctions, civil recovery, or a combination of both. 

A clear call to action emerged: greater collaboration between the public and private sectors is essential to strengthen prevention and disruption strategies. This includes sharing intelligence, pooling resources, and aligning incentives to address the root causes and enablers of economic crime. 

Notably, insight from the banking sector underscored the power of regulation in driving action – emphasising that, as a regulated industry, they prioritise controls they must implement, not just those they should. This prompted reflection on whether a similar regulatory clarity and enforcement could help focus public sector investment and commitment to counter-fraud functions. 

Clue is proud to support the agencies and individuals leading the fight against economic crime. If you’d like to learn more about our work, technology, or how we’re supporting the public sector, please contact us or visit our website to explore Clue for Economic Crime.