Let’s look beyond raids at results

The FCA has reported that it carried out more dawn raids last year than in any year since 2010. But – in an era where the regulator is opening more cases, spending a higher budget and employing more staff – Syedur Rahman argues that the reasons for the raids and the results they produce are more important than the numbers.

Syedur Rahman, who has substantial experience in white-collar crime cases, is legal director at solicitors Rahman Ravelli. Contact him on syedur.rahman@rahmanravelli.co.uk.

It’s a catchy headline: the number of dawn raids conducted by the Financial Conduct Authority has almost doubled over the past year. The use of such raids has leapt from a total of 13 in 2017 to 25 in 2018. Admittedly, 25 is not a huge number but the rise is certainly significant. Yet perhaps the real news lies in the reasons behind the increase in raids – and what results from them.