A rise in financial crime and the increasing complexity of financial fraud in the Asia-Pacific region has led law enforcement agencies to embrace innovative tools and tactics to clamp down on criminal activity. The Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission estimates that organised crime costs Australia $A36 billion annually1. KMPG’s Fraud Barometer for Australia found that frauds perpetrated against government bodies were the primary concern in 2017, but fraud perpetrated by professional criminals is a growing problem2.
Technology is at the forefront of combating these kinds of fraud, says Ian Watson, CEO of leading British software company Altia-ABM which has established a new office in Melbourne to serve its growing customer base in Australia and New Zealand and to expand further into the Asia-Pacific region.
The Altia-ABM group develops and provides specialist software and services to facilitate financial and criminal investigations and the management of covert and intelligence operations. Altia-ABM products are used by every police force in the UK and many police forces and enforcement agencies in Central and South America, Hong Kong, the US and Canada. In Australia customers include the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Federal Police and the state police forces in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia.
Ian Watson, CEO of Altia-ABM said: “I am delighted to announce a very significant milestone for us, with the establishment of the new office in Australia where there is a clear and growing demand for the most advanced tools to combat crime.
“Our ambition is to become a truly global company and we see the Asia-Pacific region as a key driver for growth. We have a significant number of established customers in Australia and there is substantial interest in our products from across the region.
“Altia-ABM has grown significantly in the past two years with our specialist tools being used by professional investigators across the world.”
The team driving the launch and growth of the firm in the Asia-Pacific region are: Paul Hardman, National Australian Director, Altia-ABM PTY and a former police officer in the UK and Thomas Foo, Country Manager, Altia-ABM PTY who has extensive experience of customer relationship management in the Asia-Pacific region. A further two members of staff are currently being recruited in Melbourne.
Paul Hardman said: “The ability to capture, develop, sanitise and share intelligence between law enforcement organisations has always presented challenges. At Altia-ABM we are seeking to support organisations to achieve this, not only on a national basis, but internationally. By adopting a standardised approach through the use of our products, which can also be configured to capture additional specific ‘local’ requirements, we are providing the ability to share information securely and with confidence.
“Our products are in use in numerous countries, importantly including members of the Five Eyes (FVEY) Alliance and are delivering business benefits, in terms of time-savings, reducing duplication of effort and enhancing the ability to share information. This is a game changer in the detection of crime and successful prosecution of criminals.”
Alta-ABM’s key products are Insight, Financial Analysis Toolbar, Investigation Toolkit, Digital Manager and Pegasus.
Altia-ABM was established in 2002 in Glasgow and has established a worldwide customer base. The group’s customers in the UK include every British police force, in addition to HMRC, the Department of Work & Pensions, the National Crime Agency, Trading Standards, many local authorities, the Gambling Commission, plus forensic accountants and insolvency practitioners.
The firm has experienced very rapid growth in recent years. Turnover rose by 61% from £2.8m in 2016 to £4.5m in 2017. Between 2012 and 2017 the firm’s turnover grew by 600%. Altia-ABM established an office in Toronto, Canada in March 2017 and its customers in Canada include regional and national law enforcement agencies.
1 https://www.acic.gov.au/about-crime/crime-types
2 https://home.kpmg.com/au/en/home/insights/2018/02/fraud-barometer-october-2016-september-2017.html
About Altia-ABM
The Altia-ABM group is a global leader in the development and provision of innovative software to support financial and fraud investigations. Police forces, national and regional governments, tax authorities, forensic accountants and insolvency practitioners use and trust Altia-ABM technology and services use the software. https://altia-abm.com/
Altia Solutions
Altia provides investigators engaged primarily in overt operations with software tools and services that assist in the collection and analysis of data as well as the automation of routine tasks. This dynamic and cost-effective combination frees up investigators’ valuable time. Robust and reliable software, specialist training courses by expert staff and a dedicated support team have enabled Altia to become an international leader in the provision of technology and services.
ABM
ABM provides pioneering management software for covert investigations and intelligence operations. Working internationally with law enforcement, intelligence agencies and the private sector, ABM has extensive experience of operating in highly sensitive and secure environments. ABM supplies incident, case and investigation management tools that cover all aspects of covert operations including intelligence, confidential sources, surveillance, undercover and protected persons.
