Fighting Public Sector Fraud: The Growth of Professionalism in Counter-Fraud Investigators
Organizations need to be continually creative in the fight against fraud, and the professionalism of counter-fraud work over the past few years has contributed towards the significant achievements that have been made in this area. This article will discuss various themes surrounding the evolution of a counter-fraud profession, including an assessment of the characteristics of a “typical” counter-fraud specialist, some of the problems that they face in their workplace and the response made by creating an independent association which aims to promote their status and of counter-fraud investigations generally.
The Wrong Arm of the Law? Public Images of Private Security
The concept of "policing" is returning to multi-agency and commercial provision. Private security has recently penetrated areas previously monopolised by public policing agencies and it is now difficult to envisage the management of law and order without private sector input. Consequently, private provision has attained greater public importance and been subject to greater media scrutiny. Images of policing have an important role to play in reflecting and influencing perceptions of society. Yet what do common images of private security portray? This article examines three stereotypes - the Watchman, the Gangster and the Hired Gun - and the way they inform our understanding of private policing. Its central argument is that values communicated through the mystification process have as much impact on public perceptions of reality as any amount of state intervention. While this article takes a predominantly British perspective, the central arguments are likely to be applicable in any country experiencing similar trends.
Direct conversion pulsed UWB transceiver architecture
Ultra-wideband (UWB) communication is an emerging wireless technology that promises high data rates over short distances and precise locationing. The large available bandwidth and the constraint of a maximum power spectral density drives a unique set of system challenges. This paper addresses these challenges using two UWB transceivers and a discrete prototype platform.