UK leads the way in fighting online crime

The UK approach to tackling online crime has been held up by internet experts as an exemplar of best practice from which other nations could learn.

At the UK Internet Governance Forum meeting in London today, internet stakeholders met to discuss themes including online crime reduction, personal internet security and diversity.

The UK’s blended approach to tackling internet crime was singled out for praise, allowing as it does industry groups to coordinate their own initiatives to fight crime in their specific sectors. The Apacs-backed Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Crime Unit is one such body.

“There are things the UK does very well and it’s a positive story for us to take to the [international] IGF meeting,” said Apacs’ Richard Martin, reporting back from the online crime reduction track. “It’s a very good model to be taken up elsewhere, especially our national culture towards a blended, bottom up approach.”

However, while business is in the best position to understand the nature of the threats it faces, the UK is still lacking a joined-up business and law enforcement response to online crime, he said.

“It is important to have the routes to take the information [on internet crime collected by business] to the next level – organised law enforcement,” he added. “It is a potential gap we have but we understand that and are trying to do something about it.”