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A whirlwind of activity has marked the launch of the City of London Police Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department's first fortnight in operation, with detectives fanning out across the country to arrest suspected insurance fraudsters.

Within hours of the new unit opening its doors for business on January 3 a man had been detained in Leamington Spa after allegedly claiming £35,000 for a stolen BMW that was still in his possession.

Before the week was out IFED had responded to a number of industry reports of policy holders making bogus claims.

This included a Hertfordshire man who in 2005 claimed a back injury had left him unable to work, leaving his insurance company with a bill running into several hundred thousand pounds.

However, police are now in possession of evidence that seriously calls into question the claim and has led to the man's arrest and IFED's first criminal charges.

Twenty four hours earlier detectives had arrested three people suspected of running an internet car insurance company that was pocketing premiums but not providing any cover, leaving individuals unknowingly driving uninsured.

The action continued in week two, with the unit receiving reports from police forces across the country of a major car insurance fraud allegedly based in the Midlands. Detectives are currently assessing the intelligence before deciding whether to launch a full investigation.

In a different case a man was arrested in Newport, Wales, after he was accused of staging a burglary in his own home and then making a claim for £29,000 worth of electrical goods and jewellery.

DCI Dave Wood, who is heading up CIty of London Police's IFED, said: "We wanted to make an immediate impact and put out a clear statement of intent, and that is exactly what we have done.

"In two weeks we have travelled far and wide to dismantle organised insurance fraud and tackle opportunistic insurance fraud. The challenge for us is to maintain this very high level of performance."