IT crime squad can't find staff

Skills shortages and insufficient funding are undermining business confidence in the police National Hi-Tech Crime Unit just two months after its launch.

Speaking exclusively to vnunet.com's sister publication Computing, the unit's head, Len Hynds, admitted to serious problems recruiting and retaining skilled forensic and investigative staff. The unit has only been able to fill 27 of its 43 posts.

"We have to work on how we retain staff, because we can't compete with salaries in the private sector," said Hynds. The unit was launched in April, with £25m to fund a national investigation centre and local force units over three years.

It has been working with the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency to develop standards for a qualification in network investigation. But, so far, recruits have only been on a two-week crash course run by the Agency, a fact which has not impressed business.

"Ongoing training is required, otherwise the unit certainly won't be able to conduct any thorough investigations and get forensic evidence out of them," said Reuters' global IT security risk director Tim Voss.

Computer Software and Services Association director Tim Conway estimates that the unit needs at least twice its current funding to be effective, and suggests outsourcing some tasks.

Hynds wants accreditation to be made compulsory among private IT security companies. "It's about setting standards and giving quality assurance to people who employ network investigators," he said.