Mr. Penning is the joint secretary of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Identity Fraud and during his visit to WM Investigation and our sister company Licence Bureau Ltd he was able to discuss our service offering and topical issues.

In particular, the security of data and the ease in which forged documents are obtained from the internet. To assist his research Mr. Penning was given an insight into the work undertaken by WM on behalf of the motor finance industry to recover vehicles and identify offenders who had used bogus information to obtain finance. This also led to a greater understanding of Pre employment screening and its benefit to employers.

Mr. Penning in November 2008 raised concerns in the House of Commons with regard domestic violence and its effects in Hertfordshire. The response from the Home Office was vague as the manner of reporting is not concise. We were able to provide an insight into the serving of injunctions/court documents and the difficulties and dangers involved.

The current business climate was discussed and in particular debt related matters. It was explained that our tracing services were an essential tool used by Financial Institutions and Business to locate their debtors.

In respect of local issues and the concerns for residents, resource is the main stumbling block to Local Authorities as well as Police. Covert surveillance cameras we supply at a rate of less than £4 an hour to Business, Police and Local Authorities to capture theft and Anti Social Behaviour Offences (ASBO) where of particular value and interest.

The storage of data held is of great concern to us all and Mr. Penning was impressed by the work we are undertaking to obtain ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certification.

Further meetings are now planned in 2009 to discuss issues within the industry and action that Parliament can take to assist.