THE data records of York residents are to be inspected for fraudulent activity in a bid to crack down on crime.

City of York Council and the Audit Commission have joined forces in the anti-fraud inititiative.

The council will provide databases of its users to National Fraud Initiative (NFI).

The NFI is the Audit Commission's data matching exercise, which tackles a broad range of fraud risks faced by the public sector.

The NFI has been part of the statutory external audit process for audited and inspected bodies since 1998, and is currently run every two years.

The last data inspection, which occurred in 2006, was hailed a success by council chiefs.

They investigated 300 suspicious matches, and identified fraud to a value of more than £45,000.

The council will provide the databases of its users through secure electronic transfer. The information will then be cross-checked against databases held by other organisations.

Data records of council house tenants, housing benefits claimants, council tax payers, employees, voters, taxi licences and student grants will all be investigated by the council for any fraudulent activity.

Other areas that could be investigated include blue badges, market stall holders and residents' parking schemes.

The council has said that strict safety measures are to be put in place to ensure all data records are kept secure.

A council spokeswoman said: "Every individual whose data is included is to be informed about the process in accordance with the data protection policies of the council, and the audit commission ensures that the personal data is kept safe during the exercise and is destroyed afterwards.

"We ran the initiative two years ago, and it was very successful.

"We identified 300 suspicious matches and identified fraud of at least £45,000. We will continue to work with the Audit Commission every two years in a bid to fight fraud."

The results from the last National Fraud Initiative in 2006 broke all previous NFI records, enabling participants across the UK to identify more than £111 million-worth of fraud and overpayments.

Anyone who has any queries about the council's participation in NFI should write to: Audit and Fraud Manager, PO Box 31, Library Square, York, YO1 7DU.