- Cybercrime cases increased from 774 thousand to over 1.4 million
- Police staffing for cybercrime only increased by 31% over the same period
- Each officer now handles significantly more cases than four years ago
Cybercrime in the UK is growing at a rate outstripping the growth of dedicated police resources, and new figures from Forbes Solicitors claim that fraud and computer abuse have soared in recent years, while staffing levels in cyber and financial crime units have risen at a slower pace.
Reported incidents rose from 774,537 cases in 2020 to 1,458,704 in the latest figures, representing an 88% rise – but in the same period the number of staff dealing with such offenses rose by 31%. This means that reported incidents are increasing 3 times faster than police, creating a growing imbalance between workload and available resources.
As a result, each individual employee is now responsible for significantly more cases than in previous years.
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Violation volumes increase sharply within a short time frame
At the same time, regulatory changes are progressing through Parliament with the aim of strengthening national cyber resilience.
“The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill is expected to become law this year and the government is also looking at new legislation to ban and prevent ransomware payments,” said Craig MacKenzie, Head of High Profile and Private Crime at Forbes Solicitors.
The proposed legislation is expected to introduce stricter requirements for organizations alongside expanded enforcement powers and higher financial penalties for non-compliance.
Existing fine limits could be replaced by fines linked to a percentage of global turnover, which would increase potential liabilities for large organisations.
“New laws are a positive move but would likely bring compliance requirements that will be harder to meet without adequate policing,” MacKenzie added.
Along with broader reforms, the government is considering measures that would limit or ban ransomware payments, an approach aimed at reducing incentives for attackers.
However, ransomware incidents have already demonstrated their ability to disrupt operations for extended periods of time, often forcing companies to make difficult decisions under pressure.
Proposed rules could impose civil or criminal penalties on organizations and directors who choose to pay even when business continuity is at stake.
This is likely to create a situation where compliance obligations may conflict with immediate operational realities.
The combination of rising cybercrime and stricter regulation introduces a layered burden for organizations, especially those that lack comprehensive internal security capabilities.
Companies may be required to strengthen defenses, monitor systems more closely and respond to incidents under tighter legal constraints with limited external resources.
“It’s hard to justify asking companies and their staff to take on more responsibility – and more responsibility – when the police force is not growing nearly as fast as the rate of fraud and computer abuse,” MacKenzie said.
However, organizations are advised to ensure strong cyber security by deploying up-to-date anti-virus solutions and properly configured firewall systems to reduce exposure to emerging threats.
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