What does international policing look like at its best? Consider this: everyone knows all manner of illegal activity does not keep to neat, tidy geographical borders…especially when you take into account the prevalence and sophistication of computer networks and the Internet. Cyber criminals have pilfered money from the pockets of Fortune 500 corporations and little old ladies alike. And who’s depended upon to detect the next flow of illegal narcotics? Or bust up a human trafficking ring? Every day law enforcement agencies from the top down (or bottom up, depending on how it happens) are tasked with monitoring an influx of serious organized crime and threats to national security.
This month we managed an exclusive interview with Europol’s man at the top, Director Rob Wainwright (page 38). We asked about the challenges he faces in such a large, wide-reaching organization and discussed the proud moments during his career. On seeking the intel of diverse professionals: “I have access to an expert in everything. The other day, I met with a Romanian cyber analyst and he was amazing, with ideas I had never heard before. We may have different practices but some of them are brilliant. If we can tap into that, we have huge potential to make everyone more efficient.”
Sounds to me like an excellent way to get things done! Efficiency is what we all strive for in the daily grind. But let’s face it; one can’t have efficiency without a little cooperation and yes, trusted experience.
On January 21 of last year Wainwright opened the new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) at Europol’s headquarters in The Hague. EC3 is the European information hub on cybercrime, developing and deploying digital forensic capabilities to support investigations in the EU and building capacity to combat cybercrime through training and awareness.
But the teamwork doesn’t stop there. It was recently announced a six-month pilot is underway for J-CAT (Joint Cybercrime Action Taskforce), a new body of Europol designed to tackle the smartest online criminals. This high-tech force will be led by Andy Archibald, deputy head of the National Cyber Crime Unit with the UK’s National Crime Agency (based at Europol). Cybercrime police from the United States, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and the UK will all take part in the pilot program. Some types of investigations J-CAT hopes to coordinate include a look into viruses that steal banking logins and the underground market for personal data.
The average person might “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” each time she or he logs into their online savings account. But they may one day—if and when their personal data is stolen and vanishes into thin, multi-jurisdictional air.
