FRAUD will be the focus of a joint initiative involving forces from Cleveland, Northumbria and Durham at a conference being held in Newcastle next month.
The event, at St James' Park on March 18, will cover all aspects of retail fraud, fraud prevention, money laundering and cyber fraud.
The event will be followed by a series of themed conferences and courses throughout the year, which will cover the whole fraud spectrum.
Detective Inspector Bill Matthews, head of Cleveland Police Fraud Investigation Team, said: "The ultimate aim is for all of us within the public and private sectors to develop and adopt a simple, common sense fraud reduction strategy.
"None of us can do this alone. It is important that all those affected by this type of crime work together in order to combat it.
"I believe this forum can provide the springboard to promote the change necessary to reduce fraud."
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