Derbyshire businesses are being offered help in the battle against counterfeit £20 notes – the most counterfeited banknote in circulation, with around 276,000 duds discovered last year alone.
Police business crime adviser, Ian Hinds, who is based with Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber, said staff needed the right training and the right equipment to deal with the duds, and they're offering low-cost money-checkers to help.
He said:
"Businesses that deal with a lot of cash need to train staff to recognise obvious signs of counterfeit notes. The money checkers provide an extra aid to this process."
Subject to availability, businesses can obtain mains-powered money checkers for £13 from Derbyshire Police as part of its business crime prevention initiative.
During 2007 the total number of counterfeit Bank of England banknotes taken out of circulation was around 290,000, compared to around two billion genuine banknotes.
The vast majority of counterfeits are discovered during the sorting process. The Bank said the total decreased by around 24 per cent from the previous year, and the total 'face value' of counterfeits fell by £1.8m to £5.8m.
Businesses can arrange one-to -one advice through the Police Business Crime Adviser service by telephoning 0845 123 3333.
The full article contains 210 words and appears in Buxton Advertiser newspaper.
