ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses primarily on the investigation of bribery and corruption within the United Kingdom. Corruption is the word used to describe the offer or receipt of a bribe in order to gain some unfair influence or advantage. The criminal law used to prosecute corruption is divided into two types: common law and statute law. Common law is the law of the United Kingdom that has been created over the centuries by judicial decisions, as opposed to 'statute law', which is created by legislation, passed by Parliament. Corruption is often a challenging offence for the investigator to investigate, for there can be no traditional crime scene or clearly-defined crime to investigate. Enquiries require a multi-agency approach and it is essential that the roles of each organization are understood. A proactive investigation should be considered if the corrupt activity is still ongoing. The purpose of such an approach would be to evidence the corruption as it occurs.
