Policing Cybercrime
Crime is constantly evolving and presenting more challenges to law enforcement in the 21st century. One of the fastest growing and ever evolving crimes is Cybercrime. Today, law enforcement has to deal with not only the conventional crime but also Cybercrime. This creates a daunting task for law enforcement in the battle.
The dawn of the 21st century brought with it a world enhanced with technology that invades everyone’s daily life. The internet is utilized by schools, businesses, governments and individuals as a way to conduct day-to-day communications and business. The advanced technology allows for crimes to be committed through disruption of communications, via telephones or internet. Cybercrime is not just involving the internet. The crimes can be committed using mobile, wireless, cellular, telephone, or any other communication device. On the flip side of this, the same means of committing the crime can be used to catch the criminal?
So who commits these types of crimes? There is no profile to describe the typical cyber-criminal. These crimes are executed by individuals from all walks of life and ages. These crimes are more beneficial to the criminal than conventional crimes such as kidnapping, trafficking or robberies.
Many of the individuals who participate in cybercrimes do not view their activities as criminal so they do not feel they should take ownership or responsibility for their cybercrimes.
The 2009 Internet Crime Report indicates there were 336,655 received cybercrime complaints in 2009 and a total monetary loss of $559.7 million. (“2009 Internet Crime Report,” 2009). Asked what percentage of crimes will be computer-related or computer-assisted 10 years from now, Lt. Amanda Simmons of the South Carolina Computer Crime Center - a well- versed expert on the topic - replied that "as today's technologically savvy children and teenagers grow older, I believe there is a possibility that nearly every crime will...