Businesses and security professionals have warned that
the merger of the UK's National High-Tech Crime Unit into a new
FBI-style organisation could leave a large gap in the policing of
technology-related crime.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which began
operations on 1 April, will investigate computer crime as well as
trying to disrupt organised crime, particularly in the areas of
drugs and illegal immigration.
But security professionals are concerned that Soca's creation
could leave a dearth of police resources to fight day-to-day
computer crime, such as hacking and denial of service attacks.
Jim Norton, senior policy advisor at the Institute of Directors
and a member of the National High-Tech Crime Unit's stakeholder
group, said businesses that were previously able to report crimes
to the High-Tech Crime Unit are being redirected to local police
forces, which may be ill-equipped to deal with IT crime.
"Their ability to deal with high-tech crime is highly variable.
It has not been a priority for some chief constables. They have not
put the resources into it," he said.
Norton is particularly concerned that level-two high-tech crime,
which involves crime conducted across more than one police region,
will fall into the gap between Soca, which is charged with fighting
international crime, and local forces.
Soca said this week that the work of the High-Tech Crime Unit
would not change, and that its incorporation into a bigger unit
would bring more resources for fighting high-tech crime. The agency
said it would continue to support local police forces' computer
crime units.
But Norton said, "There is a real risk that the role of the
High-Tech Crime Unit in helping police forces will be lost with
[the advent of] Soca."
Peter Sommer, visiting professor of security at the London
School of Economics, and Malcolm Hutty, regulation officer at the
London Internet Exchange, echoed Norton's concerns.
"If there is a really complicated matter, it will be dealt with
by Soca. If it is smaller in scale and it happens in a police force
where the chief constable has high-tech crime as a priority, it
will be handled. In other areas where it is not a priority, it will
not get a response," Sommer said.
Hutty accused the government of a "complete abdication of
responsibility" over level-two computer crime.
"The High-Tech Crime Unit was under-funded, but at least those
concerned could make the case for increasing funding. Now we need
to make the case for an act of parliament to create some body that
has responsibility for level-two crime," he said.
David Lacey, security consultant and former head of security at
the Royal Mail, said he doubted whether local police computer crime
units would be able to help most businesses.
Paul Vlissidis, security consultant at NCC Group, agreed.
"High-tech crime units in local police forces are overstretched as
they are." A lot of crime will go uninvestigated, he said.
Richard Starnes, president of the Information Systems Security
Association, said the lack of centralised reporting for high-tech
crime would leave a gap in collecting intelligence on computer
crime that crossed police boundaries.
"There is a complete and utter lack of discussion of high-tech
crime in the Soca manifesto, despite Soca absorbing the High-Tech
Crime Unit. I think it is very worrying for UK plc," he said.
The Confederation of British Industry was more positive.
Although there were concerns about the ability of local police
forces to fight computer crime, it said Soca represented an overall
increase in the resources devoted to computer crime.
"Structurally it is in a better position than the High-Tech
Crime Unit. Whether that works out in reality to be an improvement,
we will have to wait and see," said Jeremy Beale, head of the CBI's
e-business unit.
The Home Office said that even though there was no central
reporting point for high-tech crime, information would be passed to
Soca by local forces.
"Effective working relationships with local forces will be
critical to Soca's success, and there will be a two-way flow of
information between Soca and local forces," said a spokesman.
"Local forces will liaise closely with Soca on all Soca-related
crime, including high-tech crime and level-two crime, to blend
excellent traditional law enforcement with some new ways of
working."