- Around 6,000 officers are being specially-trained to deal with cyber crime
- Alex Marshall, head of the College of Policing says its a 'real problem'
- Claims the public are not aware of when an online insult becomes an offence
- He believes all investigations in the future will have an online element
Published: 05:19 EST, 24 June 2014 |
Online abuse is behind the majority of complaints to police about anti-social behaviour and harassment, a top officer has warned.
Alex Marshall said comments on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are the basis for ‘at least half’ of calls about nuisance crimes.
The chief constable, who leads the College of Policing, said low-level crime has moved online along with shopping and banking.
He also signalled fears that petty insults and threats now take up a disproportionate amount of police time – but said that many officers still struggle to identify when it breaks the law.
‘Police officers can’t deal with every bit of nonsense or disagreement that occurs on social media and there is a line that needs to be drawn,’ he said. ‘If someone is genuinely threatened or at risk, that’s an issue we need to take on.
‘The challenge for officers is to establish what is a criminal act and what is not.’
The College of Policing is currently conducting research into exactly how much crime begins online, with some forces voluntarily ‘flagging’ incidents in their databases to help gather evidence.
About 6,000 officers are also undergoing training through the college in how to deal with online offences.
Mr Marshall added: ‘Officers dealing with less serious crimes and anti-social behaviour might deal with a dozen calls in a typical day – and they tell us that at least half of reports of this type, whether around abuse or threats of assault, may be related to social media.
‘We need to ensure that officers have the right skills and training to make these judgments so that we can direct resources appropriately and protect those who genuinely need our help.’
Senior officers have raised concerns about a surge in those who expect police to settle trivial online spats.
They compare many of the comments to people simply ‘shouting at each other in the street’ – and say they have even been contacted by some complaining that they have been ‘unfriended’ by someone on Facebook.
Yet at the same time, police are determined to crack down on serious offences, including stalking and threats of rape or other attacks.
Last year the Director of Public Prosecutions issued guidelines saying those who post offensive messages online must cross a ‘high threshold’ before being brought to court.
Messages may also be a crime if they are ‘obscene, grossly offensive or false’.
The stronger measures to deal with online harassment follow a series of high-profile cases involving abuse on Twitter.
They include the jailing of Isabella Sorley and John Nimmo in January for sending death threats to feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez, who described the experience as ‘terrifying and scarring’.