Henhouse 4, a month-long intensification on fraud, sees more than £7.5m seized and 422 arrests made, led by City of London Police

A nationwide crackdown on fraud throughout February led to 422 arrests, 155 voluntary interviews, and the seizure of cash and assets worth more than £7.5 million.

Operation Henhouse, now in its fourth year, is a month-long initiative aimed at tackling fraud, with police forces across the UK receiving additional funding from the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC).

The operation is coordinated by the City of London Police in its role as the National Lead Force for fraud, ensuring a unified approach across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Detective Superintendent Oliver Little, from the Lead Force Operations Room at the City of London Police, said:

“Henhouse is one of our most significant policing operations that we coordinate each year. As the National Lead Force for fraud, we have a responsibility to deliver impactful results across the UK, and we can't thank all the participating forces enough for their hard work and dedication throughout Henhouse 4.

“Fraud can take many vindictive and harmful forms, but through the combined efforts of forces up and down the country, including those at the City of London Police, we can make a real difference in stopping criminals in their tracks. With over £7.5m seized and 422 arrests made during Henhouse 4, we will look to build on this success throughout the rest of 2025.”

Nick Sharp, Deputy Director Fraud at the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) in the NCA, said:

“This year’s Operation Henhouse results are a testament to the determination of officers and officials across the country to work together to tackle what can be a devastating and lifechanging crime.

“The National Economic Crime Centre continues to work closely with law enforcement partners, the private sector and international counterparts to disrupt the highest harm organised crime groups who use technology to launch frauds on an industrial scale, often from overseas.”

As part of the intensification, City of London Police officers executed 32 warrants, made 42 arrests, and conducted 19 voluntary interviews. These results are the combined efforts of numerous units which tackle serious organised crime, banking and finance, romance and insurance fraud, amongst other types of fraud.

A key operation that fell under the Henhouse umbrella took place in the lead up to Valentines Day which was carried out by the London Regional Proactive Economic Crime Team (PECT). Two people were arrested as part of a romance fraud investigation that involved numerous victims dropping off large quantities of cash to the backroom of a souvenir shop on Oxford Street, central London. As part of the City of London Police’s ongoing work with the UK Government to tackle fraud both domestically and overseas, Fraud Minister Lord Hanson attended a pre-briefing before the warrant.

Officers from the Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) carried out ten search warrants and arrested ten people under Operation Henhouse. They executed four search warrants and arrested four people as part of an ongoing operation to tackle the counterfeit goods trade on Camden High Street. Around 6,200 counterfeit items, worth an estimated loss to the industry of at least £2.75 million, were seized. Those arrested have since been released under investigation.

The Insurance Fraud Enforcement Department (IFED) arrested six people and conducted 11 interviews under caution during Operation Henhouse. Officers served ten ‘cease and desist’ notices to help tackle ‘ghost brokers’, a term used to describe fraudsters who sell fake motor insurance policies. They also executed search warrants at five addresses in Manchester as part of an investigation into suspected fraudulent motor insurance claims. Two people were arrested on suspicion of fraud offences and have since been released under investigation. The warrants were executed with support from Greater Manchester Police.

Finally, DCPCU delivered impressive results with 22 arrests, 13 warrants executed and total seizures of over £258,000, including both cash and non-cash assets. Throughout the operation, Catriona Still, Head of Fraud Prevention and Training at the DCPCU, delivered vital educational sessions at bank branches. This included training staff and customers on fraud prevention techniques including ATM fraud, distraction thefts, and scam awareness. These combined enforcement and educational efforts demonstrate the DCPCU’s commitment to protecting the public from financial fraud.”

Whilst Henhouse is an important period for increasing efforts, mainly due to the added boost of funding from partners, our work in the fight against fraud never stops. Our role, and duty, as National Lead Force for fraud means that we constantly need to be on the front foot and be proactive in our approach. Henhouse is a fantastic example of the results that can be achieved through collaborative working with our partners across the UK.