Dealing with cybercrime is a rapidly growing demand on police time as officers’ cyber-skills come under increasing pressure.
Statistics for the City of London reveal that between April and September last year 13,357 cybercrimes were reported, with victims losing £34.6 million. And the number of incidents is on the rise.
“Cybercrime is a growing trend with total losses increasing by 24 per cent,” says commander Karen Baxter of City of London Police. “In particular, criminals are targeting social media users and online account holders in a bid to make money and steal personal details. This leaves victims out of pocket and at risk of identity theft.”
Online crime ranges from relatively small-scale incidents right up to, for example, the 2017 WannaCry ransomware campaign that crippled the NHS and many other organisations worldwide.
At the top level of severity, serious organised crime is handled by the National Crime Agency, often in collaboration with regional or metropolitan forces. Cybercrime is wide-ranging and includes fraud, indecent images and cyber-enabled cases where a computer or other device has been used by criminals.
And as the number of cybercrimes continues to…
