Call to establish social welfare fraud squad similar to the CAB model

MIDDLE-RANKING gardaí want a social welfare fraud unit, modelled on the Criminal Assets Bureau, to be set up.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) said the unit would draw officers from the gardaí, revenue and social welfare, similar to the structure of the CAB.

“Instead of the Government looking at public sector cutbacks, we should be looking at wastage right across the public service, including social welfare fraud,” said AGSI general secretary Joe Dirwan.

He said the Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton had suggested social welfare fraud was costing around €300 million a year.

“It should be a multi-agency unit, like CAB, including social welfare people, customs and gardaí,” said Mr Dirwan.

Sergeant Padraic Tully, from the AGSI national executive, said identifying claimants was crucial in preventing social welfare fraud.

“Regarding the person claiming, at the moment people go in and they sign. There are plans to put in photo ID. That will help, no doubt about it.”

But he said that was only part of the response: “We are talking about multi-agency and that’s how you combat that type of fraudulent activity.

“The multi-agency resource allows each agency to draw on their resources and expertise and that combined will help tracking and preventing it.”

He said it would be hard to put an estimate on how much the unit would save, but said it would be “certainly cost effective”.

Sgt Tully there are people engaged in benefit fraud as a criminal career, in addition to people coming into the country and defrauding state benefit.

He said those engaged in benefit fraud are often involved in other types of fraud, which the unit could also investigate.

The Department of Social Protection has identified a range of sectors where social welfare fraud is a problem, including markets, couriers, clothes recycling, the security industry, haulage, the food sector and taxi industry.

They have identified people engaged in multiple claiming or impersonating others, foreign nationals who are not resident here and claiming benefit and people abusing disability fraud as problem areas.

Speaking at the conference, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said he didn’t think there was a need for a special garda unit. “Social Welfare have their own investigation unit, and it is true, from time to time, we do assist them, so I don’t see that being a particular issue.”

Also at the conference Justice Minister Alan Shatter raised the possibility that commitments by the last government as part of the EU/IMF bailout to cut garda numbers from 14,500 to 13,000 by 2013 may not be reached.

He said the last government did not outline how the reduction could be achieved.

He ruled out compulsory redundancies and said retirement packages were “not at issue at the moment”. The minister said he might have to see if the savings could be made elsewhere.

He added that if numbers were cut to 13,000, recruitment would have to begin well before AGSI claims that it could be 2020 before there are any new Garda graduates.