Four men have been arrested following a police probe into a suspected fraudulent construction skills card test centre.

Officers from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Economic Crime Unit raided the independent testing centre in Winchester over the weekend.

The swoop was the culmination of an ongoing investigation following a tip-off from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) that the centre was accepting payment to help people fraudulently pass CSCS skills card safety tests.

Following the raid officers made multiple seizures, including electronics and cash, and have arrested four men as part of their investigation:

They have been released on bail until 15 May whilst enquiries continue.

Detective Inspector Jamie Johnson, Head of the Economic Crime Unit said, “Helping people fraudulently pass these tests puts not only the subject themselves, but also those working around them, at serious risk of harm, as they are entering building sites without proper training and understanding of how to carry out work safely.

“To be knowingly involved in and profiting off of an operation that could, in the worse case scenario, cause serious injury or even death through malpractice is something that we take incredibly seriously, and we are working alongside the Construction Industry Training Board to ensure anyone involved in this criminal activity is brought to justice.”

Chris Simpson, Head of CITB’s Standard Setting Body, added: “It’s vital that we ensure the construction workforce is well-trained and competent, and this means ensuring our testing methods are robust and everyone is completing tests to the standard expected.

“These arrests are part of our dedication to delivering a competent workforce and demonstrate our commitment to stamping out any kind of cheating or deception affecting our products and services.

“Falsifying health and safety qualifications means that the holder has not demonstrated the professional competence and awareness of health and safety legislation that is required for them to work safely in the construction industry.

“We are committed to ensuring that colleagues and members of the public are kept safe, with an industry that they can rely on. CITB will be working with our colleagues at CSCS to ensure that fraudulent tests are revoked and that any CSCS cards that have been obtained fraudulently are also withdrawn.”