Police fail to record e-crime

Fewer than one in four forces can generate computer crime reports

Senior police officers and industry experts have voiced concerns about a lack of systems for recording electronic crime, following the publication of a Whitehall report this week.

The Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (Post) report on computer crime says fewer than one in four police forces can generate any record of e-crime and that, as a result, a large proportion goes undetected.

The report says this problem is distorting crime figures and hampering prevention.

‘Lack of detection makes identification of computer crime in government and police crime statistics difficult,’ says the report. ‘However, sharing information about computer security is seen by security professionals as necessary for defending against computer crime threats.’

Rick Naylor, president of the Police Superintendents’ Association, says some police forces can record information on computer crime, but a national policy would help the process.

‘It may be that some forces’ systems are sophisticated enough to pull information out, but there is no national system whereby this is recorded,’ he said.

‘It is something that police forces are getting into, but it is a very new area of policing for us.’

The report says the government’s Get Safe Online initiative will go some way to address the problem, but says police must be properly trained in detecting and handling e-crime.

‘Computer crime training has been made available to all officers, but uptake has been low,’ says the report. ‘This may result in potential evidence being lost.’

Jim Norton, senior policy adviser at the Institute of Directors, says proper e-crime training for police is essential.

‘It is important for officers to have forensic computer training, as many crime scenes today contain a digital element,’ he said.

The report also highlights concern over the decision in April to make the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU) part of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca).

Ollie Ross, The Corporate IT Forum’s head of research, says more needs to be known about Soca. ‘While the NHTCU has disappeared, the cyber criminals certainly have not,’ he said.

‘There is concern that so little is known about Soca’s remit.’

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