A PIONEERING initiative spearheaded by a North-East police force has gone global after getting the seal of approval from the United Nations.

The North-East Fraud Forum (NEFF) was created by Northumbria Police last year to help cut down the main problem areas of fraud, which costs the UK economy billions of pounds every year.

And in just 12 months the initiative has gone from the region to the world stage after NEFF delegates travelled to UN headquarters in Vienna to give a presentation on the Northumbria Police's Economic Crime Unit and forum chairman Detective Inspector Phil Butler, said: "We recognised we were highly skilled at carrying out complex and protracted investigations but offered the public little in the way of advice and assistance.

"We felt there had to be a better way and committed ourselves to developing an initiative to bring the public and private sectors together, to promote a strong anti-fraud culture in the region.

"Our ultimate aim is for all of us within the public and private sectors to adopt a single common sense fraud reduction strategy."

Last year more than 400 delegates attended the launch of the forum, which now has over 200 organisations as subscribing members.

Earlier this year a group of Northumbria Police officers travelled with partner organisations from the public and private sector to give a presentation to the UN in Vienna.

DI Butler said: "The UN was more than impressed by the presentation and rationale behind the forum and immediately set in motion the establishment of an International Fraud Forum at the United Nations, based on our blueprint."