The Association of British Insurers (ABI), the main insurance trade body, on Tuesday said it had agreed a nationwide deal with the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).

Insurance fraud costs the industry an estimated £1bn a year, and the ABI said the new measures would strengthen the right of customers to prove they were making honest claims.

Under the new scheme, insurers will get better access to a variety of police intelligence.

For example, insurers can check the value of an insurance claim with details contained in the original police report.

The deal will also give insurers better access to the investigative resources of the police and, for example, CCTV pictures.

Until now, there has been an ad hoc relationship between insurers and individual police forces, but no nationwide scheme.

Debra Weekes, the ABI's anti-fraud manager, said: "Insurance cheats hit honest customers in the pocket.

"Enabling insurers to have quick and easy access to any relevant police information, such as burglary report forms, will close the net still further on anyone who thinks that insurers are a soft touch."