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back to article Cybercrime police's budget slashed by 30%

The national police unit responsible for fighting cybercrime faces a deep cut to its already stretched budget, counter to pre-election talk of an increased focus on the UK's digital security. According to senior Westminster sources, the coalition government has quietly and drastically trimmed the £3.5m that the Police Central …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cut does not go far enough

    How many 0700 operators knowingly supplying services to Nigeria have they frog-marched over the last 3 years? How many phishing mules? How many net based counterfeiting operations? How many scams?

    It has degenerated into another "fear the paedo/fear the terror" unit to comply with Nu Labour "fear fear and more fear" policies.

    So frankly, they should have been cut even more in their current form. There is enough other units with the same "spread fear" function, no need for an extra one. So instead of moaning they should take it as a warning - next time it may be the remaining 70%.

    Nuff said, me coat

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    1. Anonymous John
      Reply Icon

      Comments shoudn't need titles.

      Exactly. UK victims lose an estimated £3.5 billion annually to scammers.

      http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/01/anti_fraud_action_day/

      Who many people even noticed that day of action?

      UK law enforcement does nothing constructive, unlike sites like 419Eater and Scamwarners. Not really a criticism when scammers are working anonymously out of West African Internet cafes.

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  2. RichyS
    Black Helicopters

    Value for Money

    Have the PCeU actually done anything that represents value for money? Genuine question -- I have no idea.

    Are they really interested in 'cyber crime' as we know it, or are they more interested in people hocking fake goods on eBay.

    And, cyber-crime related to national security? Isn't that more of a job for MI-something-or-other?

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Failed to Prosecute BT

    This self - serving unit should be closed as 'not fit for purpose'.

    Their first action should have been to descend on the parts of BT responsible for the Phorm outrage, arrest everybody concerned and prosecute the lot.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      I know who you are.......

      Hit post too soon Graham?

      FAIL for you, but we've all done it so don't feel too bad!

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  4. Graham Dresch
    FAIL

    Failed to Prosecute BT

    This self - serving unit should be closed as 'not fit for purpose'.

    Their first action should have been to descend on the parts of BT responsible for the Phorm outrage, arrest everybody concerned and prosecute the lot.

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  5. max allan
    WTF?

    How much do they get and where does it go?

    Is the £3.5M 14% or 30%???

    Working on it being 30% and doing very rough maths, the whole dept. chokes down £100M per year.

    For 50 staff that equates to £2M each.

    If you assume that they've got some REALLY nice offices and knock off a million each for office space, they're still each costing £1M per year.

    Or do they have hundreds of contractors on normal contractor rates???

    Personally I doubt that the investigators are seeing much of this money!

    And I think only 50 investigators isn't enough, explaining why they haven't made more of a dent in cybercrime.

    But, seriously, how do 50 people cost 100M per year?

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    1. JasonW
      Reply Icon

      It's rough maths alright...

      30% is a smidge less than a third, implying that it's in the £10million ball park, 14% would put it nearer £25 million - still eyewatering amounts of dosh though for 50 people.

      Why are they headquartered in London anyway? Must raise their personnel costs by virtue of London weightings. Could easily be elsewhere.

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    2. Marvin the Martian
      Reply Icon
      Thumb Down

      Hardware, licences, tailormade software, ...

      The time it takes to type your message, you can answer it yourself.

      So much overhead per worker, it's hard to know where to begin. If you're in a hi-tech environment, expect hardware to be eyewateringly expensive and quickly obsolete. And so forth.

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    3. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      FAIL

      Read it again...

      100% of the budget equals £3.5 million (Home Office) plus £3.9 million (Met Police), total £7.4 million.

      The £3.5 million is being cut by 30%, or about £1 million. £1 million is 14% of the total.

      £7.4 million is around £100,000 for each of the 50 investigators, much of which probably goes on accommodation, support staffs, equipment... it's not a very high per head figure compared with a normal 'high tech' environment. It's practically a shoe-string operation.

      I take it maths isn't your strong point?

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Don't expect tears

    There's enough redundant backup units with shadowy budgets to make up for this. The ACPO'll run at least half of them.

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  7. amanfromMars 1 Silver badge

    Games Over? Great Game On ....... GCHQ CyberIntelAIgent dDVision .... ICEnterprises

    "In March last year she complained that the unit's budget was "not a lot of money" and said she aimed to persuade ministers to increase it this year."

    Ministers would do very well to consider how hopelessly prepared they are, should the Unit take All Requisite Mercenary ProAction for Virtual Field Security in Command and Control Cloud Environments.

    42 Plunder with Sub Prime Stock, Heaven Sent Global Fare, would be quite a disruptive constructive message in AIReal SMART Magic Circles. ....... Virtual Reality Fields.

    I Think therefore We Are ..... or We Think therefore Am I, Mes Amies, which is a very good reason for sharing who you are and what you like to do for those who can use your services to excellent measure in tailor made environments/virtualised spaces/special places where SMART Perfumed Garden Flower Powered Supply to Honey Traps dDelivers Lovers in Live Operational Virtual Environment in Love with Lovers in LOVE.

    All of which certainly places more than sticky sweet temptation in the lead firing line .... on ITs Projected Courses.

    Godisagoddess ur2die4 takes Fleet Flight and Launches a SMART AIMissive Arrow ... NEUKlearer Almed and/or Armed HyperRadioProActive Missile.

    And now we wait on dDutch Initiative to Kick in with some Heavy MetaData CodedD Source ...... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neoUi4poCXI ? Holland's Finest at Playing Traditions.

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  8. John Tserkezis
    Coat

    The problem is...

    Fighting online crime costs money, it doesn't make money.

    And you can't make money on the net unless you're an ISP or pipe provider. Or into porn.

    Enter the Australian National Broadband Network.

    A brilliant network that is not reputed to be any cheaper or faster than what's already available.

    And since the Government is going to be running it, it'll be easy to slot in the Australian firewall, and also ban all porn (if we can't make any money out of it neither will anyone else).

    See, you Brits have no idea on how to run a government...

    Yes, I know, I'm leaving...

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