More e-crime training for UK police

UK police officers are to receive improved training on how to deal with high-tech criminal evidence, using an elearning portal.

Centrex, the Central Police Training and Development Authority, has introduced the online course to address the technical knowledge gap between new recruits and serving officers.

Basic computer crime courses have been compulsory for recruits since September 2003, but many long-serving police officers still lack an understanding of possible high-tech evidence to be found at crime scenes (Computing, 23 June).

The High Tech Crime First Responder elearning programme will provide all police officers with training, ranging from how to deal with the public reporting of internet crimes through to identifying, seizing and preserving digital evidence.

The course is accessible via the National Centre for Applied Learning Technologies' elearning portal run by Centrex and the Metropolitan Police Service.

'Today almost any crime has some technology element to it,' said Nigel Jones, head of high-tech crime training at Centrex. 'If a suspect is standing there with a blood-stained knife an officer will seize it, but often they are missing vital information or evidence that can be stored on mobile phones, PDAs or computers.'

Police call centre staff will also receive training so they can deal more efficiently with reports of crimes such as identity fraud, racism and child pornography.

If someone reports racist emails, police support staff will be able to give better advice and tell the victim how to preserve the digital evidence, says Jones.

Jim Gamble, deputy director general of the National Crime Squad, said: 'It is vital that all police are trained to investigate technology-based crime, particularly the highly sensitive area of online child abuse.

'By preserving technological evidence where the crime has been committed and ensuring all material seized is dealt with in a consistent and confidential manner, we can maintain the highest level of professionalism in our efforts to combat such crimes.'