Cumbria police’s cyber crime unit has been praised for its work to battle online crime, including investigating more than 200 child sex offences and making 98 arrests in the last three years.
Cumbria’s Cyber and Digital Crime Unit began work in May 2019 and have investigated 271 cyber-related offences and prosecuted 50 different criminals for 178 crimes.
They have also investigated 204 online child sex offences and, as a result, helped to protect 168 children.
The unit’s work has included Operation Cabinet, which ended with the arrest of child sex offender Darren Chambers.
Chambers was arrested for sexual communication with an undercover police officer who he believed to be a child. Images of children he had sexually exploited were found on his mobile phone and laptop. Some of the images were taken after Chambers was handed a sexual harm prevention order following a previous conviction for child sex offences.
Chambers was convicted of 14 offences in January 2021 and sentenced to eight years in prison.
The CDCU has a team of dedicated digital media investigators who advise and support all areas of policing. They have supported several high-profile investigations, including seven murder investigations.
The unit have also trained officers to trace and seize cryptocurrency linked to criminal activity.
The operations the unit have worked on include Operation Terbium, a fraud case where two offenders, Ben Botwright and Ovie Imiren took £5000 by hacking a small business’ email account. They were both prosecuted, with Botwright receiving a 12-month suspended sentence and Imiren 26 weeks in prison.
In addition, the CDCU also carry out work to reduce the likelihood of local businesses and the public being targeted by criminals online. They work with the Chamber of Commerce to produce a podcast on cyber safety and host events with organisations such as the Women’s Institute to provide cyber advice. Regular online Q&A sessions are also held for the public with the last session attracting 525 participants.
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall said: “Technology is advancing so quickly and criminals are using any method they can to target vulnerable members of the public.
“With cyber-crime continually growing, it is extremely important that we have a dedicated and expert unit to focus on the vast types of crime that can be committed online.
“The CDCU do an incredible job in such a difficult remit to police as many cyber criminals commit their crimes internationally, making it difficult to get convictions.
“This is why their prevention work is just as important as their investigative work: by educating the public and businesses on how to strengthen their online security we can reduce the likelihood of being targeted by these criminals.
“We can all do more to help keep ourselves and our families safe online and I would encourage everyone to check out www.getsafeonline.org for some easy steps to improve cyber safety.
“Not only have the CDCU put criminals behind bars, but they have also protected 168 children from becoming the victims of unimaginable crimes and saved them from future trauma.
“I had the opportunity to attend a warrant with members of the CDCU, to seize devices following intel of child sexual exploitation images and the professionalism and thoroughness of the team should be commended.
“I would stress to anyone who may be tempted to abuse children online, that the police will pursue you robustly.
“This is a dynamic but unseen aspect of policing which the public will rarely see but I hope are assured to know that we are and will continue to tackle online criminals robustly.”
CDCU Detective Inspector Andy Myers said: “In the three years that the unit have been running we have seen significant success in bringing offenders to justice, assisting our colleagues and safeguarding victims.
“We have also carried out a lot of work to educate people on staying safe online. If you shop and communicate online or have social media, you could fall victim to an online criminal.
“Cyber criminals can hide behind their screens, but their actions can have a huge impact on businesses, individuals, vulnerable members of society and children.
“Our priority is to protect vulnerable victims and we would urge people to take the time to familiarise themselves with tips on staying safe online for themselves, family, and children.
“This is a dedicated unit staffed with officers trained and skilled to specifically deal with these type of offences – and I can reassure the people of Cumbria that the team will continue to work tirelessly behind-the-scenes to keep children and other vulnerable people safe, as well as track down anyone exploiting them.”
