£650 Million Invested To Bolster Cyber Crime Defences - Online crime strategy outlined
Thursday, 08 December, 2011
New measures to protect the public and businesses from cyber attacks and promote economic growth were published at the end of November as part of the UK Cyber Security Strategy.
The Strategy, led by the Cabinet Office, sets out a programme of work over the next four years to bolster our cyber defences and is underpinned by £650m of investment. The Home Office, which received £63m under the programme, will lead the work in the Strategy on tackling cyber crime through:
• expanding the use of 'cyber specials' (volunteer police officers with specialist cyber skills) to help tackle cyber crime
• creating a new cyber crime unit within the National Crime Agency by 2013 to lead on national-level cyber crime
• encouraging the police and the courts to make better use of existing cyber sanctions for cyber offences; and
• making it easier for individuals and businesses to report financially motivated cyber crime
Home Office Minister for Crime and Security James Brokenshire said: 'The new National Crime Agency will share knowledge and expertise across law enforcement agencies, building on the pioneering work done by the Metropolitan Police and SOCA.
'We are also reaching out to industry and the public to get involved. We all have a role to play in keeping ourselves and our families' safe while enjoying the huge opportunities and benefits of surfing the web.'
It heralds a new era of unprecedented cooperation between the Government and the private sector on cyber security, working hand in hand to make the UK one of the most secure places in the world to do business.
Around six per cent of the UK's GDP is generated by the internet and is set to grow making it a larger sector than either utilities or agriculture - with the internet boom predicted to create 365,000 jobs over the next five years.
Our increasing dependence on digital technologies has given rise to new risks. For example,
there are more than 20,000 malicious emails on Government networks each month, 1,000 of which are deliberately targeted. The Government has ranked cyber security as a tier 1 national security priority.
