Self-perceptions of English and Welsh constables and sergeants preparedness for online crime

Abstract

Purpose Cybercrime is the greatest threat facing law enforcement agencies in England and Wales. Although these crimes are transnational by nature, the burden of response has been placed on line officers. Not all officers, however, believe they are capable of responding to calls involving cybercrime. The current study, using latent class analysis (LCA) on a large sample of English and Welsh officers, finds two types of officers: those prepared (39 percent) and those unprepared (61 percent). Using logistic regression to predict who falls into either classification, the authors find that training and age are the best predictors of latent membership. Implications for policy and future research are discussed. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this study, the authors used LCA to determine the number and character of unobserved categories of officers in how they deal with cybercrime. Findings The LCA indicated there are two distinct categories of police in the English and Welsh constabulary: those prepared (39 percent) and those unprepared (61 percent). Training and age were the two key determinants of this classification. Research limitations/implications LCA is an exploratory analysis technique that requires additional validation to confirm the findings of any one study. Practical implications The salience of training in helping officers feel prepared to deal with cybercrime cases as well as victims was demonstrated. A full 60 percent of the officers in this study fell in the “unprepared” category, which continues to highlight the limitations of local police to handle cybercrime cases; nevertheless, almost 40 percent of officer could be considered ready when responding to cybercrimes. Social implications As the harm cybercrime brings to our financial and social well-being, law enforcement agencies will be required to improve their response capabilities. Most current cybercrime responses address technical issues related to online fraud and abuse, but officers often perceive the problem as outside their legal and geographic jurisdiction. Knowing how officers perceive cybercrime as well as their own capabilities will allow us to begin changing enforcement policies, training capacity and individual response efficacy. Originality/value This study involved a sample of English and Welsh constables and sergeants to classify their cybercrime readiness. The analysis and particular data are unique to the study of cybercrime.