Spearheaded by The Attorney General Baroness Scotland, The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Sir Ken Macdonald the Crown Prosecution Services(CPS) International division and the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) and designed and built by web design agency Ecru; it comprises a database of e-crime prosecutors, a channel for exchanging advice, and host e-crime material including a virtual college.
The prototype website today was unveiled at the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) conference in Singapore, Baroness Scotland said: "It is widely recognised that e-crime is the most rapidly expanding form of criminality and knows no borders. Prosecutors play a very significant role in combating e-crime, and their advice at an early stage of police investigation can be fundamental to success.
"The world of high-tech crime is ever changing and those fighting it have to keep up to date. This international network will speed up safe communication between specialists, enabling prosecutors to share best practice and training, and raise standards across continents."
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It is expected a GPEN website will be fully operational next year. The site will house a database of e-crime prosecutors from across the world, a message board for exchanging advice and queries, a collection of e-crime material such as legal guidance and a virtual e-crime prosecutors' college containing up-to-date training.
Esther George of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) high-tech crime unit said: "We are delighted to kick-start this initiative because the network will enable prosecutors world-wide to join together to fight e-crime. It is one example of the many far-sighted approaches the CPS deploys to stay one step ahead of the criminals both domestically and on the world stage".
This international network will speed up safe communication between specialists, enabling prosecutors to share best practice and training, and raise standards across continents.
Attorney General, Baroness Scotland
Francois Falletti, President of the International Association of Prosecutors said: "I am proud that this important initiative, the result of a partnership between the IAP and the CPS, will be launched at our Annual Conference in Singapore, the theme of which is the use of technology in crime and prosecution. This network will present an outstanding opportunity for prosecutors all over the world to collaborate in order to more effectively combat cyber crime in all its manifestations."
The Council of Europe, Eurojust, the USA, Australia and the Bahamas have all endorsed the project. Specialist prosecutors from individual countries will be urged to become involved in the network through their membership of the IAP;
The CPS is one of the first prosecuting authorities to develop e-crime trained lawyers who now number over 120. This initiative is part of the Government's wider efforts to tackle e-crime and shows how prosecutors in the UK are looking to the global community of prosecutors to develop sophisticated strategies to combat the rise of cyber crime.
Types of e-crime offences include fraud, possession and distribution of obscene and extreme pornography including indecent images of children, targeting children online and sexual grooming, and computer misuse such as malicious software. The growth in computer-based retailing is expected to bring with it an increase in e-crime.
The CPS introduced a national training strategy on high-tech crime back in 2002 and has since become recognised as a world leader in prosecuting e-crime. In the recent past the CPS has provided training to a number of countries including Serbia and China. Ecru are proud to have worked with the CPS since 2003 and delighted to have played such a fundamental role in the successful delivery of the GPEN project - on time, on budget and on target.