Our Values
We require a high standard of conduct and integrity
from our staff and have a Code Of Conduct that all employees
adhere to. Recruitment procedures are rigidly applied to ensure
that candidates appointed have the appropriate skills,
qualifications, experience and background. As professional
investigators, the Benefit Fraud Section aims to make sure that its
staff maintains the highest standards. As staff and managers we all
aim to:
- Work with honesty and integrity
- Treat others with respect and dignity
- Be open, fair and accountable in everything we do
- Encourage contributions from everyone in order to beat benefits
cheats
We fully recognise and understand that claiming any benefit is
often a complex and difficult process. For some people, claiming
benefit isn't an easy process and we will always take this into
account during an investigation. We know that genuine mistakes do
happen, but we also have the experience to spot cheats.
Each investigation will be carried out in line with the
Council's Equal Opportunities Policy.
Human Rights Act 1998/Data Protection Act 1998
The Human Rights Act 1998 provides clear guidance on what is
acceptable when undertaking overt and covert investigation
work.
The Benefit Fraud Section fully endorses all aspects of the 1998
Human Rights Act. In particular, we will ensure that we fully
adhere particularly to the following specific Articles that affect
the day to day work of the team:
| Article Number |
Description |
| Article 6 |
Right to a fair trial |
| Article 7 |
Right to no punishment without law |
| Article 8 |
Right to Respect for private and family life |
| Article 14 |
Prohibition of discrimination |
Requests for information to and from third parties, the storing
and use of information for investigation work, will be undertaken
in full accordance with the provisions laid out in the Data
Protection Act 1998.
We recognise that in order to deliver an effective and
professional service, and to combat benefit fraud, that it must
work with a number of other departments. These include:
- Other Local Authorities
- Department of Work & Pensions
- Police
- Immigration
- Customs and Excise
- Crown Prosecution Service
This webpage was updated on
2/13/2012