Recession blamed for false claims

Cambridgeshire's police chief has said the recession may be triggering a rise in the false reporting of burglaries.

Julie Spence said officers had identified 10 cases in recent months in the North Cambridgeshire area where burglaries had been invented.

The chief constable said the aim was to make false insurance claims.

She added: "The recession will probably not cause law-abiding people to start stealing but it may persuade people to commit these kind of offences."

She has also recently warned that the recession is causing an increase in thefts.