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Introduction
In the face of financial retrenchment across the Western world, the cost of providing public services has come under pressure. Fraud however is often ignored or downplayed as a potential cost saving measure, though. Based on deception, disguise and presenting false "facts" that appear real the detection of fraud is extremely difficult. However, what is not always inevitable is that there is a weakness in processes and systems, which allow fraud to exist ([8], [9] Gee et al. , 2009, 2010). Making it far more difficult for people to commit fraud is not as problematic as it appears. Professional investigation ([3] Button et al. , 2007) uncovering information ([14] KPMG, 2007), collecting evidence and working in partnership, e.g. banks and the police are useful ways in which to reduce fraud.
As a member of the Euro Zone and European Union, the Republic of Cyprus is in a unique location (at the crossroads of Europe and Asia), with a population of approximately 80,000 ([13] Kapardis and Zopiatis, 2010)with the estimated amount of "local" money spent on credit cards in Cyprus at [euro]1.9 billion. There are, however, no available figures as to the percentage lost to fraud in Cyprus. While credit card fraud is a difficult and complex crime to police ([7] Doig, 2006) research has indicated that there is between 3 and 10 per cent loss to fraud in the organisations ([8], [9] Gee et al. , 2009, 2010), with an estimated £800 billion loss to fraud worldwide ([9] Gee et al. , 2010). Research has also indicated that the reputation of the police regarding fraud is often critical ([4] Brooks et al. , 2009) and if a "proper' system of measurement and risk assessment is in place the level of fraud can be reduced ([8] Gee et al. , 2009). It is in this context we considered it worthwhile to research into police "effectiveness" and the investigation of credit card fraud in Cyprus.
We therefore briefly explain what we mean by "effective" since it is open to interpretation and confusion. Then, we review previous research on credit card fraud in Cyprus and elsewhere. Following on from this we explain our methodological approach and "interview schedule" and coding framework. From this we examine the results...