UK police open three new regional cybercrime hubs

Three new regional e-crime hubs have been opened at locations around the UK, with the aim of providing police forces with localised support for dealing with cybercrime.

The new hubs, in Yorkshire and the Humber, the Northwest and the East Midlands, were launched at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) e-crime conference in Sheffield on Wednesday. Each centre will initially consist of three members of staff – a detective sergeant and two detective constables.

The centres will generate their own investigations, as well as working alongside the Metropolitan Police Centre e-crime Unit (PCeU), which was established in October 2008 to deal with national online security. “Cybercrime is a threat locally and nationally, and every police force in the country has to deal with its impact on people and businesses in their area,” said James Brokenshire, Minister for Crime and Security. “As well as leading the fight in their regions, these units mark a significant step forward in developing a national response to cybercrime, which will be driven by the new National Crime Agency.”