A Qualitative Exploration of Police Officers’ Experiences, Challenges, and Perceptions of Cybercrime

Victimization from cybercrime has increased exponentially over the past decade. Frontline police officers are dealing with a variety of crimes different than those existing in an era before the advent of digital technology. Frontline officers are expected to encourage members of the public to report such crimes, to investigate them, as well as keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in this ever-changing landscape. This study explored the issues that frontline officers are dealing with on a daily basis when it comes to cybercrime. Sixteen frontline police officers took part in focus groups exploring key questions around aspects of cybercrime. The key themes discussed in this article include the difficulty of defining what is cybercrime, the contrast between the speed of developments in cybercrime and the speed of investigation, and the ineffectiveness of current training. The results are discussed in the context of a need for clearer training information to be delivered to all officers and staff who come into contact with aspects of cybercrime.