ActionFraud and local police investigation

Many people are told when they call the police to report a fraud, especially a cyber based one that they should call ActionFraud or report it to the ActionFraud (AF) website. http://www.actionfraud.police.uk.

ActionFraud is fairly unique and is a world class service for bringing fraud and intelligence together at a national level

BUT, and it is a big BUT, many frauds really should be investigated locally.
And the rules governing AF allow this but many people, including many cops and call handlers seem still to be unaware.

Here is an outline of the rules governing AF and replicated on many force websites. This comes from the Met site, even Northern Ireland is covered
http://content.met.police.uk/Site/reportingfraud

Local police should take a formal report of fraud in the following circumstances, known as ‘Calls to Service’:

 Where the crime is in progress, or about to happen, including where a delivery is about to be made or money is at risk (a payment may be stopped if action is taken immediately).
 Where the person suspected of committing the crime is locally known or can be easily identified. (Police may refer the complainant to action fraud if the suspect does not reside in their force area.)
Where the person reporting or the victim is vulnerable. The person may be unable to make a report by telephone or the internet, lack understanding of their situation or require additional support from Police or partner organisations.

So if your fraud meets the above criteria then the police should investigate
Simples