Police to be trained by eBay in bid to prevent online fraud

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The site plans to train 22 officers on how the site works, and what precautions are in place to protect consumers.

It will also teach them how to search profiles and analyse trading histories to spot potential fraudsters.

There have already been trials of the scheme elsewhere in Britain, with more than 2,000 officers trained.

Steve Edwards, head of law enforcement relations for eBay UK, said: "Trust is the engine of eBay, and with 15million people visiting our site each month we have a duty to make it as safe and secure as possible."

The company hopes the scheme will help improve its links with police. "We already work closely with law enforcement agencies like the police and trading standards, and so far this year we have assisted them in nearly 7,000 investigations, with the arrest or conviction of nearly 200 criminals," said Mr Edwards.

"This collaborative approach has contributed to a 24 per cent reduction in the number of people having a bad experience or being defrauded on eBay in 2008 - sending a clear signal to criminals that they won't get away with illegal activity on our site."