LONDON, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Two major law enforcement agencies have separately taken steps to help combat cybercrime and enhance crime-prevention methodology.
In Britain, City of London Police have contracted the help of Kaspersky Lab, an Internet security company, to train officers at all levels in the skills and knowledge to identify and resolve cyber-crimes, while the New Zealand Police have joined the Crime Science Research Institute, A Wynyard Group organization that designs products and services to modernize crime prevention and policing.
Other members of the Crime Science Research Institute include the College of London Jill Dando Institute of Security and Crime Science and the University of Canterbury.
Cybercrime, a growing worldwide problem, accounts for about seven of every 10 scams, according to the country's National Fraud Intelligence Bureau. Not only are banks and other financial institutions targeted in cybercrime, but so are small business and individuals.
"As the complexity of cybercrime constantly increases, it's imperative that the police service's knowledge of such threats increases at the same pace," said David Clark, detective chief superintendent of the Economic Crime Directorate of the City of London Police. "With over 21,000 computer misuse crimes in the U.K. in the first quarter of 2014, it's clear that people and businesses are at risk and need protecting.
"The U.K. police service needs to be ready to identify these crimes and have the knowledge to tackle them head on. This partnership with Kaspersky Lab further underlines our role as the national policing lead for economic crime and will enhance our capability for combating fraud and cybercrime nationwide."
The City of London Police runs the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau, the central repository for fraud and cybercrime intelligence to identify serial perpetrators of fraud, organized crime gangs and emerging and established crime threats.
The City of London Police is not the Metropolitan Police, which is responsible for the greater London area. The City of London Police's primary responsibility is for London's financial district.
Kaspersky Lab's program to combat cyber-crime includes hands-on instruction on skills such as inspecting network traffic, analyzing hard-drive images and de-compiling malicious software using specialized training tools and methodology developed by the company.
While Kaspersky Labs and the City of London Police are focusing on combating cyber-crime, the New Zealand Police and CSRI have a broader agenda -- bringing together crime science research, operational know-how and advanced technology.
"New Zealand Police's prevention strategies deliver better, more cost-effective front-line services through the effective use of new technology," said New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush. "Our participation in this innovative new research and development center is another signal of our intention to be the world's most effective mobile and visible police service with high levels of public trust and confidence.
"Crime science research, combined with our major investment in mobile technology, will be a useful addition to our national Prevention First operating strategy," he said
The Wynyard Group said CSRI will initially focus on utilizing local and international crime science research to enhance crime prediction and forecasting technologies.
"We know that crime tends to be concentrated in particular locations, and also that 6 percent of the population suffer 54 percent of all crime," says Mark Evans, the deputy chief executive, Strategy, for the New Zealand Police. "The identification of these crime patterns means that police can ensure we have more of the right staff, in the right places at the right times."
