By Graeme Wearden, 1 April 2004 08:40
NEWS More police, not laws, are the key to fighting electronic crime and cyberterrorism, according to the London Internet Exchange
The London Internet Exchange (LINX), which represents over 140 UK internet service providers, has demanded more resources are devoted to combating e-crime and cyberterrorism.
According to Malcolm Hutty, LINX regulation officer, the government should avoid introducing any more legislation in order to combat the growing threat of electronic crime.
Instead, the UK needs more police officers who are trained to deal with high-tech criminals, said Hutty in an article circulated around the Home Office this week.
"It is surprising, to the uninitiated, just how few reports of online criminal activity actually result in a police investigation. It is surprising that so few police officers are trained and available to investigate the entire range of online fraud and attempted fraud. It is surprising that the few trained officers we do have do not have more support from, for example, computer forensics specialists," wrote Hutty.
"It is perhaps less surprising that detailed statistics on how many e-crime reports result in a police investigation are not readily and widely available - this is likely to be connected with a lack of political enthusiasm for significantly increasing resources," he added.
The British government will soon unveil details of a new strategy for e-crime, which could include the introduction of legislation to try and combat the rise of scams such as phishing.
Currently, the National Hi-Tech Crime Squad (NHTCU) takes the lead in fighting electronic crime in Britain. The NHTCU is set to be merged with other police units to form the Serious Organised Crime Agency, which will tackle crimes such as people-smuggling and drug-trafficking. Part of its remit will be to crack down on the increasingly high-tech methods gangs use to carry out these crimes and launder the proceeds.
Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet UK
Comments
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1. anonymous
Fighting e-crime is tough. It will take an expert to catch another.
And if one had enough skill and knowledge to out smart these cyber criminals; they would also be able to secure high paying tech. jobs.
In order for the Police department to attract these skilled officers; they would need to offer competitive salaries to these technicians.
But if the police were to offer significantly higher wages to the e-crime investigators; it may create tension within the police force. As with the US government severing e-crime sentences in comparison; such action may mistakenly be interpreted as “it’s better to whack than to hack” if you want to hurt somebody.