The formation of a new Police Central e-crime Unit (PCeU) in the UK may not be enough to restore damaged corporate confidence in the Government’s approach to combating high-tech crime – suggests a membership survey by The Corporate IT Forum, a business association of over 150 large, blue-chip companies.

The survey finds that whilst companies are being attacked daily with increasing levels of deliberate* electronic crime (69% of companies reported ‘increases’ or ‘dramatic increases’ in deliberate high-tech crime), confidence in the Government’s willingness or ability to solve these crimes is very low.

57% of respondents said that they thought that instances of malicious high-tech crime would not be investigated properly if reported whilst 30% said that no adequately-resourced body existed to report such crimes to.  As a consequence, just 4% of organisations surveyed ‘always report’ malicious cyber crime whilst 60% report it ‘sometimes’ and 36% report it ‘rarely’.

When asked what would help, 48% of respondents gave their highest level of support to ‘consistent and appropriate penalties for cyber criminals and cross-border ecrime legislation’.

The survey also finds businesses spending increasingly large amounts of money on fighting deliberate cyber crime. It reveals that 68% of companies are now forced to spend up to 40% of their security budgets protecting themselves against cyber crime. It also finds that 42% of companies are spending ‘more’ or ‘dramatically more’ on combating ecrime – none reported spending less.

David Roberts, chief executive of The Corporate IT Forum said:

“IT chiefs in UK PLCs don’t think the Government appreciates the scale of the cyber crime threat, the seriousness of the threat or, how much it’s costing.

Business confidence in the Government’s ability to help them fight cyber crime is at rock-bottom.

Large businesses welcome the formation of the New Police Central e-crime Unit as a good first step – but they think it’s only part of the solution. 

Now, the Government must pay urgent attention to putting the penalties and legal frameworks in place to deter these criminals – wherever they are in the world.

Cyber crime shouldn’t be treated as a special case. Ecrime must be treated just like any form of activity designed to steal or maliciously damage someone else’s property – as a crime – with a proper legal framework of penalties and legislation attached.”

Read the full BBC story headlined on Radio 4 Today’s Programme here.

Download the full survey results here.