E-crime in the form of fraud and scams, computer hacking and data breaches have become a reality worldwide. Many police agencies have attempted to create centers of e-crime expertise on a local or regional basis. Investigation of e-crime however requires not only special expertise but also resources and national and international co-ordination.
Last week, The Association of Chief Police Officers in the UK (roughly the UK equivalent to the CACP) announced a comprehensive e-crime strategy. The strategy addresses issues such as investigative capabilities, awareness, national co-ordination, public education and partnerships with industry and academia
The strategy calls for the London Metropolitan Police to co-ordinate the cyber crime response. The strategy is a good first step in addressing what some have predicted will be the prevalent form of crime in future years.
The ACPO e-crime strategy is available at: http://www.acpo.police.uk/asp/policies/Data/Ecrime%20Strategy%20Website%20Version.pdf