The creation of "cybercops", "cybercourts" and "cyberjudges" to deal with criminality associated with new information technologies such as the Internet are some of the innovative approaches that may eventually need to be considered according to Australasian Police Commissioners.

Police Commissioners have today released a strategy to deal with cybercrime but have flagged the need for ongoing innovation to keep abreast of the problem.

The strategy was initiated by Police Commissioners in March 2000 and identifies action in five key areas to overcome the vulnerabilities and investigative challenges of the current and emerging information and communications technology environment.

Commissioners see the five key areas as being inextricably linked so there is a need for them to be dealt with collectively.

The five key areas are:

• Prevention;
• Partnerships;
• Education and Capability;
• Resources and Capacity; and
• Regulation and Legislation.

Complementary detailed workplans that address each of these areas have been developed and action will be taken to implement various elements as resources permit.

AFP Commissioner and Chair of the Commissioners' Conference Electronic Crime Steering Committee, Mick Palmer said: "Some of the main challenges the strategy had to address were the anonymity, speed and the potential for large scale victimisation associated with electronic crime."

"These characteristics of the cyber environment present investigators with new and unique challenges."

"Strategic and effective partnerships, and ongoing consultation, with the community and the private sector will be absolutely essential to the success of the strategy. Commissioners have recognised that such partnerships must be genuine, mutual and cooperative."

"The private sector is already playing a significant role in the investigation of fraud etc. against large companies, however, the broader private sector also has a key role in preventing e-crime and computer security incidents and ensuring that appropriate risk management strategies are adopted to protect key business systems."

It also needs to be recognised that law enforcement may have to rely on the private sector to assist with what has previously been perceived as traditional police work. For instance, it may be necessary to give serious consideration to police/private sector alliances in areas such as forensic computing to optimise the capacity of both the private sector and law enforcement," Commissioner Palmer said.

Some of the significant investigatory challenges to face policing, on what is a truly global issue, include:

• Jurisdiction (whether jurisdiction exists and the problem of concurrent jurisdiction);
• Legislative difficulties brought about by differing criminal law regimes (eg. requirement of dual criminality);
• Managing strategic alliances and partnerships and ensuring security, confidentiality and flexibility of response (particularly in relation to the private sector);
• Dealing with various privacy regimes;
• Achieving mutual assistance in real time or close to real time;
• Heavy reliance on cooperation and assistance from telecommunications providers and Internet Service Providers (ISP's);
• The transborder search of computer data banks and the interception of communications;
• Ensuring timely and strategic intelligence assessments; and
• Managing and coordinating extraditions.

Commissioners and senior policy representatives from both the private and public sector will be discussing the issue and hearing from international speakers from the Netherlands, the FBI and Interpol in relation to the e-crime issue during the International Policing Conference being held this week in Adelaide.

Both the e-crime strategy and the background research that underpins it are available from the Internet via the AFP home page (www.afp.gov.au) and the Australasian Centre for Policing Research home page (www.acpr.gov.au).

Media inquiriesSteve Jiggins, mobile 0411 132 761.

Media Note: AFP Commissioner Mick Palmer and WA Police Commissioner Barry Matthews will be launching the e-crime strategy at 12.30 pm on Wednesday 7 March at the Hilton Hotel in Adelaide. For further details contact: Steve Jiggins, mobile 0411 132 761.

BACKGROUND FACTS

How many people use computers?

About 50% of Australian households had a computer as at February 2000.

Nearly two-thirds of all Australian adults used a computer in the year to February 2000.

Australia and New Zealand are leading countries in both the uptake of new technology and the reliance of infrastructure on technology.

Growth in Internet use

Australia has the third highest per capita usage of the internet, after Finland and the USA.

Internet service providers have increased by nearly 3,000% from 1995 to 2000.

The National Office for the Information Economy projects that 43% of Australians adults will be using the Internet by February 2001.

Growth in web sites

Web sites have increased dramatically as follows:

E commerce predicted growth

The National Office for the Information Economy predicts that e-commerce initiatives in Australia could realise a 2.7% increase in the level of national output and enhance consumption by about $10 billion within the next decade.

What is e-crime?

Offences where a computer is used as a tool to commit an offence, or as a target of an offence, or the use of a computer as a storage device in relation to an offence.

E-crime reporting levels

About 30 % of major corporations in the US reported e-crime incidents in 1999 at a cost of US$123,779,000. About 70% reported incidents in 2000, at a cost of in excess of US$265,589,940.

The Australian Computer Emergency Response Team report similar increases in computer security incidents.

The cost of e-crime

The Love Bug virus (or ILOVEYOU worm) affected tens of millions computers and the cost world-wide was said to be as high as $US15 billion or equivalent of A$25 billion.