Police 'must step up e-crime fight'

Police forces need to do more to tackle the threat of cyber crime, Labour said today.

Shadow Home Office minister Baroness Smith of Basildon said it was estimated that half of the country had been targeted by online scams

“Recorded online fraud is up by 30% but that is just the tip of the iceberg because most of that online fraud is never, ever reported to the police,” she said.

And she said that House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee had reported that there appeared to be a “black hole where e-crime is committed with impunity”.

She told the House of Lords: “Only three police forces – Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and West Midlands – have developed comprehensive cyber crime strategies.

“The rest of us who live in other areas have to rely on some kind of knowledge within the police force because there isn’t a specific strategy.

“Only 15 forces have considered cyber crime threats in their strategic threat and risk assessments and where those assessments existed the plans were focused only on investigating crime and were silent about preventing it and protecting people from the harm it causes.”

She said there was “good practice” within the police but it was “patchy” and it needed to be universal.

During committee stage of the Serious Crime Bill, she called for police forces to be compelled to outline what they were doing to tackle cyber crime in their annual reports to “focus greater attention” on the issue.

Home Office minister Lord Taylor of Hobleach said the Government had committed £860 million over five years to the national cyber security programme.

He said the Government had provided funding for cyber units in eight of the regional organised crime units, which would support police forces.

He added: “The College of Policing is investing in new courses to build cyber capabilities in local forces.

“The training will increase knowledge and understanding of cyber crime and how to investigate it.”

Police 'must step up e-crime fight'