Should the role of the auditor be extended?

The Auditing Practices Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales has surveyed accountants on the subject of fraud detection and reporting, and has published the results of its survey in the report 'The Auditor and Fraud'. Fifteen views which were held by a consensus of those responding to the survey are discussed. Chief among these opinions is the belief that auditors should not be responsible for uncovering and reporting fraud. The survey respondents disagreed with the general public in assigning responsibility for fraud detection and prevention. The public seems to believe that accountants and outside auditors should be responsible, whereas accountants feel that it is the duty of corporate executives to prevent fraud.