Four Fifths Oppose Cuts In Cybercrime-Fighting Budget

More than 80 percent of people in the UK are against the recent cuts in funding for the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU), according to a survey by security firm Sophos.

In an online poll, participants were asked: “The UK Government has cut funding to the cybercrime-fighting police by 30 percent. Was that the right thing to do?” Of those who responded, 80.46 percent said, “No, cybercrime is on the rise, we need more resources to fight it”. Meanwhile, 13.11 percent said “Yes, we’re in the middle of an economic crisis,” and 6.43 percent said “Yes, the computer cops have enough cash already”.

The news follows an article written for the Sunday Telegraph by Metropolitan Police commissioner Paul Stephenson last weekend, in which he described the chronic lack of resources at the PCeU and admitted that the unit is only able to deal with a tenth of the known criminals that regularly use computers for illegal purposes.

Lack of resources

“We know that, at any time, the Police Service is only actively targeting 11 percent of the 6,000 organised crime groups in England and Wales,” the police commissioner wrote. He also warned that there were disturbing signs that ‘traditional’ British organised crime is waking up to the profits and uses of e-crime.

“Last year, PCeU cost about £2.75 million,” Stephenson wrote. “It has been estimated that for every £1 spent on the Virtual Task Force, it has prevented £21 in harm from potential theft.”

Speaking in response to the results of the poll, Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, said Stephenson was right to be concerned about the decrease in government funding for cyber crime prevention.

“As budget cuts for public sector organisations continue across the board, surely having sufficient funds to protect against the increasing threat of cybercrime is essential?” he said. “Just last week, the PCeU arrested 19 people suspected of being part of a cybercrime gang that stole £6 million over the last three months. If that much money was being stolen from high street banks the old fashioned way, then you would certainly expect it to be investigated as a matter of priority rather than seeing budget cuts for the unit responsible for bringing down such criminals.”

Back in June, it was reported that the government had axed plans for an increase in funding for the Met’s cyber crime unit, as part of its efforts to reduce the UK’s deficit. The Met warned at that time that without that additional funding, “the growth of our capability will be restricted.”

A report by Sophos earlier this year found that nearly two thirds of computer users globally believe that it is acceptable for their country to spy on other nations by hacking or installing malware, with 23 percent claiming to support this action even during peace time.