|
Press
Release
Largest
authority in UK invests in intelligence-led
fraud investigation
Birmingham City Council,
the largest Local Authority in the
UK, has made a major investment in
the use of high technology in its
fight against fraud. The purchase
of this counter-fraud system from Radius, in itself the largest implementation
of Microsoft technology within the Council, is seen as a major commitment by
the council to adopt all the steps and technology necessary to minimise the risk
of fraud and error within the authority's delivery of Housing and Council Tax
Benefit.
4 May, 2002, Feltham. Radius
today announces that it has signed
contracts with Birmingham City Council
for the largest implementation to
date of its intelligence-led fraud
investigation software packages,
RadiusFDMS and RadiusVICS.
Over the
past year, Birmingham City Council
has responded positively to the issue
of tackling benefit fraud, and has
taken significant steps to ensure
that the security and integrity of
its benefits administration process
is given a high priority and an effective
level of support. The current software
system for fraud detection was considered
inadequate and the authority identified
the need for a more effective tool
to support their fraud investigation
activity. The Council is also fully
compliant with the Verification Framework,
and sought an effective solution
for the scheduling and control of
the programme of verification visits
to over 120,000 benefit claimants
within the area.
Following
a lengthy review of the available
products, the Council decided
on a solution from the specialist
supplier of counter-fraud systems,
Radius Computer Services Ltd.
A rigorous technical review and
performance benchmark then followed,
carried out by the Council's
own IT department on a data warehouse
that simulated the full data
extracted from the key departmental
systems of this, the largest
authority in the UK.
Early
in March 2002, the contract was
signed for the first phase of
implementation, providing over
100 users with access to the
counter-fraud and visiting modules.
Jim
Wilkinson, the Assistant Director
of Finance, Audit and Risk Management
at BCC commented: "Birmingham
City Council is committed to
ensuring that it pays benefit
correctly to the right person
at the right time. The Benefit
Counter Fraud Team plays a key
role in protecting the security
of the benefits system, and in
identifying and correcting the
incidence of both fraud and error.
It is hoped that the Radius system
will provide a valuable support
mechanism to both the fraud investigation
and VF visiting function and
contributes towards improving
the overall effectiveness and
efficiency of its operations."
Editor's Note
RadiusFDMS provides sophisticated knowledge management and associated
data matching facilities to individual authorities, to help identify activities
and then, through comprehensive case management facilities, allows a full investigation
to be set up, documented and completed.
RadiusVICS provides
a complete high performance, technically
advanced verification and fraud
avoidance system. The system has
been developed in conjunction with
Local Authority benefit practitioners
to ensure that the needs of day-to-day
administration are catered for.
eLGWarehouse -
a data warehouse that brings together
disparate departmental databases
to give a joined up view of an
authority's data. It is used with
RadiusFDMS and RadiusVICS to produce
centralised name and location indexes.
For further information contact:
Phil
Benton
Managing
Director
Radius
Computer Services Ltd. |
| Tel: |
020
8844 2141 |
| e-mail: |
bentonp@radiusplc.co.uk |
| Website: |
www.radiusplc.co.uk |
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