How does the investigation process work?
The fraud team receive referrals from a number of sources; Assessment officers (reviewing / modifying cases), a hotline from the public and colleagues in Housing & Social Care. In addition to this we use the NFI (National Fraud Initiative) which generates a hit if conflicting data is uploaded to a central database (any Central Government / Local Authority data). Finally there is the HBMS (Housing Benefits Matching Service) which can alert us to a change of someones circumstances. The fraud team then runs various types of intervention: we cross check all of the data we have access to, we may pay someone a visit, write to them, or phone them, which then leads to either closing the referral, or proceeding with an investigation. If the investigation uncovers evidence that fraud is being committed, this then leads to sanctions being taken, such as cautions, or prosecution through the courts. What makes a good fraud investigator? People who do well as investigators tend to have a good sense
When the Honor Board gets a case, a committee of two Honor Board members (students) and one faculty member is convened. They first decide whether the case warrants investigation, and if it does they notify the student that they are under investigation. This is done by serving the student via the Registrar’s Office.
The initial stages of an investigation look much like a police investigation. Officers will attend and secure the scene, take photographs, interview witnesses, and seize relevant evidence such as equipment, samples, or documents. Once the relevant information has been collected, it is analyzed using the integrated safety investigation methodology developed by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada to identify the causal factors in a sequence of events leading to an incident. This analysis may lead to a follow-up investigation to fully address all issues related to the incident. The investigation and analysis are documented in an incident investigation report, which identifies the causal factors in the incident as much as they can be determined from the evidence. Where there are health and safety lessons to be learned from the causal factors, the investigation report is reviewed by a special committee to develop recommendations to address the risks identified and prevent similar inci
When a suspected Honor Code violation is referred to us (usually by a professor, sometimes by another student), the Vice President of Investigations appoints a committee of two Board members and one faculty member. They conduct whatever investigation is appropriate to determine if there is probable cause that a violation has occurred. If they determine that probable cause exists, then they will likely offer the student an informal resolution (similar to a plea bargain) and will determine the appropriate sanctions. The entire procedure, including the appeals process, is spelled out in detail in the Honor Code and in a flowchart available to all Honor Board members. We continually strive to improve the process. 5. What is formal adjudication? If the student-defendant does not want to accept the informal resolution, they can request a formal hearing (similar to a bench trial). At the hearing, the original investigating committee acts as the prosecution and a panel of three Board members a
