Division of Ireland's police
The
Garda National Economic Crime Bureau
(
GNECB
; formerly Garda Bureau of Fraud Investigation/GBFI) ? informally known as the
Fraud Squad
? is a specialised division of Ireland's national police force, the
Garda Siochana
, that investigates economic crimes. The Bureau operates as part of the
Garda Special Crime Operations
branch and works alongside other sections of the force, as well as the external
Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement
(ODCE), an agency tasked with investigating
white-collar crime
. The Economic Crime Bureau is responsible for the investigation of serious financial
fraud
and corruption. It was established in April 1996 and is based at Harcourt Square, Dublin 2. The GNECB is headed by an officer of
Detective Chief Superintendent
rank, who reports to the
Assistant Commissioner
of Special Crime Operations.
[2]
The Economic Crime Bureau investigates serious and complex cases of commercial fraud,
money laundering
,
terrorist financing
,
cheque
and
payment card fraud
,
counterfeit currency
,
advance fee fraud
, bribery and corruption and breaches of the
Companies Acts
and
competition law
.
[3]
[4]
As an investigative unit, all members are experienced investigators, and include trained financial, legal and specialists, such as
forensic accountants
.
[5]
The GNECB is divided into a number of operational units with a
Detective Superintendent
or
Detective Inspector
in charge of each specialist area:
- Assessment Unit
- Serious Economic Crime Investigation Unit
- Anti-Corruption Unit
- Money Laundering Investigation Unit (MLIU)
- Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)
- Payment Crime and Counterfeit Currency Investigation Unit
- Corporate Enforcement Unit (GNECB detectives are seconded to the Director of Corporate Enforcement)
[2]
Until 1 September 2016, the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (GNCCB) was housed within the National Economic Crime Bureau, including its time as the Computer Crime Investigation Unit (CCIU).
[6]
However, it was subsequently constituted as a separate Bureau within the Special Crime Operations section of the Garda Siochana, with oversight by the Detective Chief Superintendent of the GNECB. The Bureau is headed by a Detective Superintendent and is responsible for the investigation of
cybercrime
and cyber-related crime, and for the provision of a computer forensic service to the Garda Siochana.
The Economic Crime Bureau focuses on major and complex economic crimes based on the following criteria: monetary loss, investigations involving a significant international dimension, investigations concerning widespread public concern, investigations requiring specialised knowledge and investigations involving complex issues of law or procedure.
[2]
The Bureau's responsibility includes the gathering of information and
financial intelligence
(FININT) for the force and
Irish government
, extending to
terrorism financing
,
[7]
[8]
and proactively detecting and preventing fraud through
sting operations
.
[9]
As part of
European Union
(EU)
counter-terrorism
initiatives on tackling
Islamic extremism
and
jihadism
, the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau monitors suspects in Ireland and outside the jurisdiction using the internet to distribute propaganda such as videos linked to terror groups, especially the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
. It was established in 2016.
[10]
The GNECB works particularly closely with the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement,
Revenue Commissioners
,
Criminal Assets Bureau
(CAB) and internally with the
Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation
(NBCI) relating to investigations concerning issues such as monetary fraud,
suspicious transaction reports
(STR),
racketeering
,
embezzlement
,
corruption
and
bribery
.
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
The GNECB is a member of the
Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units
.
[15]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
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Organised &
Serious Crime
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Security and
Intelligence
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Traffic
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Other units / structure
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Scandals
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Other
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Oversight
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Associated bodies
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