Fergie's Tech Blog

UK e-Crime Fight Hindered by Lack of Cash

Jeremy Kirk writes on TechWorld:

A new UK police force dedicated to tracking down cybercriminals is gearing up to make the most of what one senior police official acknowledges is limited funding.

The Police Central e-crime Unit, due to begin operations soon, came to be as part a comprehensive overview of how the UK handles fraud and e-crime after years of criticism that the government wasn't doing enough.

The unit will receive £7 million ($10 million) in funding over the next three years from the Home Office and Metropolitan Police.

"This is not a lot of money," said Janet Williams, deputy assistant commissioner in the Specialist Crime Directorate of the Metropolitan Police Service, during a presentation at the E-crime Congress in London on Wednesday.

Overall, the strategy for dealing with e-crime will be increased training for law enforcement, linking different law enforcement agencies and allying with private industry.

Of the 43 police forces in England and Wales, "only a handful of high-tech investigators" are in those jurisdictions, William said. Additionally, it's likely that specific computer forensics equipment would have to be shared between jurisdictions.

posted by Fergie @ 3/25/2009 07:14:00 PM