Conservatives have forgotten 10,469 fraud victims in the Avon and Somerset area

18 February 2022

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has accused the Government of forgetting victims of fraud in the Avon and Somerset police area after senior Conservative Ministers overlooked fraud and computer misuse offences when making false claims on falling crime.

Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has also called on the Prime Minister to apologise to the thousands of people in the area who fell victim to fraud last year.

There were 10,469 fraud and computer misuse offences referred to Avon and Somerset police force last year - up 16.5% on the year before, analysis by the Liberal Democrats reveals. This is the equivalent of 29 cases each day across Avon and Somerset. These victims are part of the four million people across England and Wales who were duped by fraudsters and online scammers last year.

It comes after the UK Statistics Authority last week officially rebuked Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Priti Patel for misleadingly claiming that crime had fallen, following a letter of complaint by Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael. Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng then claimed that fraud isn’t something people experience in their day-to-day lives.

Liberal Democrat MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse said:

“Conservative ministers are causing immense hurt to fraud victims in Bath and North East Somerset by dismissing this cruel crime. Many people around here have lost their life savings to remorseless scammers and suffered huge financial and emotional harm. At a time when the cost of living is ballooning and the uncertainty is still constant due to the pandemic this is especially distressing.

“The 10,469 victims of fraud in Avon and Somerset last year deserve a proper apology, not only from the Conservative party but from the Prime Minister himself. This government has to start taking their plight seriously.”