The descendants of Field Marshal Haig and Marshal Foch joined Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and dignitaries from the UK and France at a ceremony dedicated to Ferdinand Foch.

His appointment marked the first time the Allied forces fought under one strategic commander and was a significant factor in the successful coordinated defence against the German Spring Offensive and the gains made by the Allies in the summer of 1918.

Attendees laid wreaths to honour Marshal Foch at the statue honouring him in Lower Grosvenor Gardens, Victoria, London.

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said:

The decision to coordinate military operations under Foch’s leadership was crucial. It united the Allied forces who then fought as one to victory and peace in November 1918.

Foch said he had served England as if she were his own country. In our final year of First World War centenary commemorations, it is right that we mark the appointment of Marshal Foch so future generations remember the pivotal role he played in the outcome of the war.

On 26 March, 1918, Marshal Foch was appointed Supreme Allied Commander on the Western Front. This was in response to the start of the German Spring Offensive, which pushed the Allies back to their 1914 lines.

This event is the first in the Government’s 2018 programme that will help people understand how the nature of the war changed during the summer of 1918 and led to the signing of the Armistice on 11 November. The appointment of Marshal Foch as Supreme Allied Commander and the strategic leadership he brought were instrumental to the Allies’ success at the Battle of Amiens and the subsequent Hundred Days Offensive.

The Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are:

• John Campion, PCC for West Mercia
• Matthew Ellis, PCC for Staffordshire
• Jason Ablewhite, PCC for Cambridgeshire

This announcement builds on the provisions of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, which introduced measures enabling PCCs to submit a proposal to the Home Secretary to take on governance of a Fire and Rescue Authority where a local case was made.

These PCCs will join Roger Hirst of Essex, who became the country’s first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in October 2017.

In their proposals, each PCC has identified a number of collaborative opportunities through the new governance structure, these include shared estate and back office functions and closer alignment on prevention and resource deployment.

Before submitting their proposal, each PCC was required to undertake a local consultation, considering the views of relevant local stakeholders. As the relevant local authorities in each PCCs area did not support the transfer of governance, the Home Secretary commissioned independent assessments of each proposal in November 2017.

The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) carried out each independent assessment. CIFPA has substantial public finance expertise and works closely with police and fire and rescue services and was therefore well placed to carry out these assessments.

As this process must be independent of government, it was for CIPFA to determine the conduct of their assessment, and to provide the Home Secretary with its opinion as to whether the statutory tests set out in the Act had been met. In doing so, CIPFA sought the views of the local police force, fire service and local authorities.

The Home Secretary carefully considered the contents of the proposals, consultation materials, the views and representations made by statutory consultees and the PCC responses to them. Together with the independent assessment, the Home Secretary was satisfied the proposals demonstrated that a transfer of governance would be in the interests of the local economy, efficiency and effectiveness, without having an adverse effect upon public safety.

In the interests of transparency, and in line with the provisions of the Policing and Crime Act 2017, each independent assessment has today been published.

CEO fraud involves the impersonation of a senior figure (usually the Chief Executive Officer) with subsequent requests for transfers of funds. Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud reporting centre, have reported an increase in this type of fraud.

The most recent reports have involved targeting of schools where fraudsters have falsely claimed to be the head teacher or principal.

We issued an alert in January 2016 warning of the similar threat posed by mandate fraud.

What to look out for

Requests to your finance department or staff with authority to transfer funds, usually from a spoofed or similar email address to that of the subject being impersonated.

There are some reported instances where fraudsters have called up to make themselves appear legitimate. In addition, a second fraudster may be introduced who poses as a lawyer or regulator. The caller may claim to be based in another country.

With a strong social engineering element, the fraudster often requests that they, as the CEO, are not contacted further by the financial officer as they are busy.

Alternatively the fraudster may pick occasions when the real CEO is on holiday, preventing the financial officer from checking the validity of the request.

Protection and prevention advice

• review internal procedures regarding how transactions are requested and approved, especially those in relation to verifying validity
• email addresses can be spoofed to appear as though an email is from someone you know. Check email addresses and telephone numbers when transactions are requested. If in doubt request clarification from an alternatively sourced email address/phone number
• if an email is unexpected or unusual, then don’t click on the links or open the attachments
• don’t be afraid to question details when being tasked to transfer money at short notice
• sensitive information you post publicly, or dispose of incorrectly, can be used by fraudsters to perpetrate fraud against you. The more information they have about you, the more convincingly they can purport to be one of your legitimate suppliers or employees. Always shred confidential documents before throwing them away

Reporting fraud

If your charity has fallen victim to CEO, or any other type of fraud, you should report it to Action Fraud by calling 0300 123 2040, or visiting the Action Fraud website.

Charities affected by fraud should also report it to the Charity Commission as a serious incident, using the dedicated email address: rsi@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk

Serious incident reporting helps us to assess the volume and impact of incidents within charities, and to understand the risks facing the sector as a whole. Where appropriate, the Charity Commission can also provide timely advice and guidance.

Notes

The Charity Commission, the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales, is issuing this alert to charities as regulatory advice under section 15(2) of the Charities Act 2011.

Funding is available for highly-innovative, late-stage projects.

More than 200 relatives of 90 recently identified Argentine soldiers who lost their lives in the 1982 Falkland war visited the Falkland Islands today (Monday 26 March) to visit their newly marked graves.

As part of a joint project between the UK, Falkland Islands and Argentine Governments and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), a forensic team exhumed, analysed and documented the remains in each of the unidentified graves in the Argentine cemetery at Darwin in the Falkland Islands.

Argentina’s Secretary for Human Rights, Claudio Avruj, will accompany the families. Retired British Army Colonel Geoffrey Cardozo, who was responsible for burying the Argentine dead with sensitivity and respect immediately after the conflict, will also accompany the group.

Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, Sir Alan Duncan MP said:

I welcome this visit to the Argentine cemetery at Darwin by family members of the recently identified Argentine soldiers. This important humanitarian project, facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, will provide some comfort to the families of the deceased. When visiting the cemetery the families will find their loved ones properly identified and in a place of great dignity.

I am grateful to the Falkland Islands Government who coordinated the visit, in cooperation with the Argentine Families Commission, and with support by the UK and Argentine Governments. It marks an important development in the UK-Argentina relationship and demonstrates what can be achieved with a positive and constructive relationship.

Notes for Editors:

• The visit will include a religious ceremony jointly conducted by Auxiliary Bishop of Buenos Aires, Bishop Eguia Segui, and the Right Reverand Abbott Hugh Allan from the United Kingdom.
• Brigadier Baz Bennett, Commander of the British Forces South Atlantic Islands, will deliver military honours for the ceremony. A Scottish Piper and a British military guard will be present.
• The DNA identification project was funded by the UK and Argentine Governments. This is a humanitarian initiative that we support in line with our wider obligations under international law.
• In the UK-Argentina Joint Communique of 13 September 2016, both countries expressed their full support for a DNA identification process in respect of unknown Argentine soldiers buried in the Falkland Islands.
• Over a seven week period (7 June – 20 August 2017), an ICRC forensic team exhumed, analysed and documented the remains of each of the unidentified soldiers. 90 Argentine soldiers were positively identified.

Further information