NCJ Number
203696
Date Published
March 2001
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper presents the strategy recommended by the Australasian Police Commissioners' Conference for preventing and reducing electronic crime, defined as "offenses where a computer is used as a tool in the commission of an offense, or as a target of an offense, or used as a storage device in the commission of an offense."
Abstract
The guiding principles of the strategy are structured high-level coordination; the global scope of electronic crime; the importance of prevention; private-sector leadership; the education of police personnel; regulatory and legislative reform; the development of police capability and capacity; information and intelligence; and consultation, monitoring, and evaluation. The focus areas of the strategy are prevention, partnerships, education and capability, resources and capacity, and regulation and legislation. In the area of prevention, the objectives are to reduce the incidence and effects of electronic crime; undertake sound research and maintain accurate statistics on electronic crime; and produce timely and accurate strategic assessments and intelligence about electronic crime trends and activities. In the area of partnerships, the strategy aims to establish and maintain effective working relationships with international law enforcement, government, and private agencies; promote private-sector leadership, including self-regulation wherever possible, and practical regulation where necessary; and develop and maintain partnerships with communities, interest groups, and nongovernmental organizations. Objectives in the area of education and capability are to provide access to sufficient skilled personnel to undertake all types of electronic crime investigations and to create a safer community by contributing to community education about electronic crime, cyber ethics, and how best to avoid victimization. In the area of resources and capacity building, the strategy aims to provide Australasian police with the resources and the enforcement capacity to respond to and investigate electronic crime. The strategy will also aim to provide a regulatory environment that is technology neutral, that places appropriate electronic regulation responsibilities on industry and individuals where appropriate, allows police to conduct effective investigations of electronic crime, and permits the presentation of electronic evidence in the courts. For each of the objectives in all of the strategy's focus areas, this paper outlines key activities. 19 references