Serena Gonsalves-Fersch says: “The approach by Britain’s law enforcement agencies to cybercrime should be the same as any other criminal activity. They need to not only better understand the key cybercrime triggers but also how to support victims of cybercrimes. Building up a knowledge sharing networks with the private sector to be better plugged into the activities of cyber criminals will ensure they are a step ahead.
“Recent research from KPMG shows that 57% of UK companies believe it is getting more and more difficult to recruit and retain high quality staff in the cyber space and 52% said there is aggressive headhunting in this area. So it comes as no surprise that the law enforcement agencies – who are less able to provide premium salaries, benefits and ‘golden handshakes’ – are facing an uphill struggle to get the best people on board.
“However, having a handful of highly paid specialists will only go so far. Both private and public sector organisations need to focus on developing the skills of their existing workforce and on integrating cyber training into their overall training and development policies.”