POLICE smashed their way into a city home which has alleged links to a £1million benefits scam.
Homes in Timberdine Avenue and Birchfield Close, Worcester, were part of the sting which saw West Mercia and West Yorkshire Police raid properties across their area.
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) was involved in the raids with staff accompanying police officers.
They were attempting to find suspects linked to a £1million benefits theft.
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Simultaneous arrests, searches and evidence seized were made in both areas on (May 17).
DWP investigators linked a suspected Organised Crime Group (OCG) to over 1,000 false Universal Credit claims, potentially resulting in advance payments of over £900,000 being alleged to have been paid out to the suspects.
The incidents over two years led to morning raids on suspects’ homes.
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DWP investigators believe the suspected gang's activities include fraudulent and inflated Universal Credit Advance payments and collected evidence to support their investigation, which will be analysed in the coming weeks, alongside footage from the interviews with the suspects.
DWP Secretary of State Mel Stride MP said: “Welfare support is there for those who need it and in many cases would otherwise be highly vulnerable. Any attempt to abuse this support is truly abhorrent.
“It’s incredibly impressive witnessing first-hand how DWP teams are working closely with the police to join up investigations and bring to justice criminals who have been stealing from the public purse.
“Cracking down on fraud is a key priority for my department, and we are beginning to turn the tide.”
The arrest follows official figures published on May 11 showing that fraud and error in the benefits system is falling, with a 13% reduction in the rate of UC overpayments, which is worth £800m.
Last year the Department for Work and Pensions launched a robust plan to drive down fraud and error from the benefits system.
The “Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System” plan sits alongside an investment of £900 million that will deliver £2.4 billion of savings by the end of next year, growing to over £9 billion by 2027/28.
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