Card fraud 'being decriminalised'

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Under rules which came into force in April, it is now the responsibility of banks to decide which offences to pass on for investigation.

Critics suggested the move is being made to reduce crime figures and demanded a rethink.

Almost £430 million was lost as a result of credit and debit card fraud in the UK last year.

Tory e-crime spokesman James Brokenshire said: "With one in three people being the victim of credit card fraud, it's essential that there is no reduction in reporting or any suggestion that this type of crime is being downgraded - especially if this is to bring down reported crime levels.

"It is therefore astonishing that the Home Office seems perfectly happy to just rely on the banks to sort it out.

"The Government clearly hasn't got a grip on this issue or an appreciation of the seriousness or scale of the problem."

A Home Office spokesman confirmed that discretion had been handed to the banks to ensure the police could concentrate on cases "more likely to result in a positive outcome".

He said: "The Government is determined to tackle the problem of card fraud, whether the account holder is an individual or multi-million pound organisation and we are working closely with finance and retail sectors along with the police to tackle this crime."

Sandra Quinn of Apacs (the UK payments association) said the police had not been investigating minor cases before the new rules - which the banks had not requested - came into place. "Unfortunately the police don't have the resources to investigate all types of card fraud," she said, adding that hundreds of cases are being reported every month.