European states to coordinate anti-cybercrime effort
The 27 member states of the EU are worried about the effects of cyber crimes on the European economy; new blueprint for fighting cybercrime calls for better cooperation among national law enforcement units
Europe is to establish a cyber crime alert system as part of an EU drive to fight on line criminals. Silicon.com’s Nick Heath reports that Europol, the European law enforcement body, will receive €300,000 to build the alert system to pool reports of cyber crime, such as on line ID and financial theft, from across the twenty-seven member states. As we reported yesterday (1 December 2008 HS Daily Wire), police will also launch more remote searches of suspects’ hard drives over the Internet and cyber patrols to spot and track illegal activity under the strategy adopted by the European Union’s council of ministers Monday.
The strategy, a blueprint for fighting cyber crime in the EU over the next five years, also introduces measures to encourage business and the police to work closer together in sharing information on investigations and cyber crime trends.
Vice president of the European Commission Jacques Barrot highlighted the importance of the strategy, saying in a statement: “The strategy encourages the much needed operational co-operation and information exchange between the member states. If the strategy is to make the fight against cyber crime more efficient, all stakeholders have to be fully committed to its implementation. We are ready to support them, also financially, in their efforts.”
The new strategy follows the recent establishment of the £7 million Police Central E-crime Unit and National Fraud Strategic Authority, which will help fight cyber crime in the United Kingdom.
