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British Super-Police to Target Cybercrime

Plans call for the 80-strong National Hi-Tech Crime Squad to be based in London, but with at least one "cybercop" assigned to each regional police force across the UK.

The government has also earmarked £25 million ($37.5 million) for setting up the operation, whose first task will be to research and start tackling the computer hacker and virus problem.

According to Jack Straw, the British Home Office Minister, staff for the new unit will be drawn from the existing national Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS), the National Crime Squad (NSS) and existing police and customs operations.

Recruitment and training is planned for the next few months, with the aim of getting the new cybercop crime squad operational by April 2001.

Straw said that the British government remains committed to action against high-tech crime in line with its objective of making the UK the best and safest place in the world to conduct and engage in electronic commerce.

"Modern technologies such as the Internet offer up huge legitimate benefits, but also powerful opportunities for criminals, from those involved in financial fraud to the unlawful activities of pedophiles," he said.

In parallel with the creation of the new squad, Straw also announced a £37 million ($55 million) investment in a National Management Information System (NMIS) for police forces in England and Wales.

The plan is for the NMIS to provide British police with a comprehensive information management and analysis tool, "joining-up" data held on the various information technology systems from every force and area of police work.

The system, the Home Office said, will present this data in a consistent format so the whole range of police business can be easily and reliably compared and analyzed across the country.

Straw said that while the NMIS roll out currently applies to police forces, the system has the potential to provide a range of organizations, including partners in the criminal justice system, with comparable performance information.

John Abbott, director general of the UK's National Criminal and Intelligence Service (NCIS), said that tackling high-tech crime is essential to maintaining public confidence.

"The provision of this funding, which I welcome, will contribute to law enforcement's capability in respect of the prevention of crime, the education of the public and the detection of offenses," he said.

Abbott went on to say that cybercrime ignores borders, be they regional, national or international.

"Our approach therefore has to be holistic. A national unit must co-exist with comprehensive local strategies and abilities," he said.

Over at the NCS, meanwhile, Bob Packham, the police agency's deputy director general, said that the agency is targeting organized criminals who are commodity driven.

"Their main motive is financial profit - as the Internet and computer technology become increasingly a part of everyday life, those criminals are turning to it to make money," he said.

"If you look to the future, e-commerce is taking off, and if business and industry goes electronic then organized crime will go electronic. We must keep one step ahead," he added.

Packham added that it is important to note that the creation of the National Hi-Tech Crime Squad in the UK is a multi-agency, partnership project, involving the NCS, NIS, HM Customs and Excise and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) linking to local police forces.

"It also involves close liaison with the IT industry, including Internet service providers (ISPs), telecommunications companies and software firms," he said.

Reported by Newsbytes, www.newsbytes.com.

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