 No. 31 Len Hynds, head of the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit
Last year's position: Not placed
A controversial choice for the list, Len Hynds is either the man who will turn the UK into a formidable opponent to cybercrime or he is a man making the most of a frustratingly ineffective job.
Our panel was clearly optimistic as to his chances of being the former, despite a widespread belief that legislation and law enforcement move too slowly to ever mount an effective assault on online fraud and similar crimes.
To his credit Hynds has been instrumental in raising the profile of high-tech crime and that in itself has proved a vital part of his remit. While the police are ill-equipped to crack down on the criminals Hynes has at least done all he can to get the message out and better-protect potential victims through education.
In July the NHTCU recorded one of its biggest victories to date, smashing a Russian extortion racket which had been blackmailing online bookies with denial of service attacks. Sadly more will just fill the gap they leave and Hynds may be left feeling he is trying to hold back the tide - but the panel was confident the inroads he makes over the coming year will prove significant.
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