The network of Cyber Resilience Centres being rolled out in the UK is led by law enforcement to ensure businesses have a trusted resource for guidance on cyber risk management and cyber resilience. As the latest Centre to be established assembles its team, we introduce you to the Police leads at the helm and explore their ambitions for East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre (EMCRC).
Meet Matt Carson, Detective Inspector
As the Police Lead for the new East Midlands Centre, what is your ambition for the Centre and how it integrates into the Community?
Having worked within the East Midlands on a mature Cybercrime unit for a number of years I have seen first-hand the devastating effects that a targeted Cyber attack can have on business. The good news is that there are many interventions that businesses of all sizes can put in place to help protect themselves from this criminality.
My ambition will be for the East Midlands business community to be able to come to one place and get tailored advice and services that can be integrated into their company to provide better resilience to the very real threat of digital crime. I would like every business in the East Midlands to consider the importance of becoming a networked member of the Cyber Resilience Centre and benefit from a unique range of essential digital hygiene services that will be on offer through local law enforcement, academia and specialist organisations.
In your career you have worked in both retail and in Policing, what do you see as being the single most important element that the Centre can bring to the East Midlands?
I have seen in a relatively short period of time a big shift in the way business now operates in the online environment and how policing has also needed to adapt to keep up with the pace of this change in the way we now live and work in this digital space. In fact, I would say that ‘online’ is fast becoming the new ‘frontline’ with most criminality now having some form of digital enquiry involved in it.
‘online’ is fast becoming the new ‘frontline’
We are very fortunate here in the East Midlands to have some of the most mature, forward thinking Cyber Crime units in the country who have already forged good relationships with the business community. It is this experience and established network that should integrate seamlessly within the resilience centre range of services helping underpin the advice and assistance dispensed within the region. An important element for me is that all businesses within the East Midlands will have a ‘go to’ trusted resource backed by law enforcement and Academia to help and not scare them into making unsound commercial decisions around the latest Cyber Security and Data protection matters.
Why is Policing in the East Midlands keen to have a CRC as part of the wider Police Force Offering for business?
The Police Forces of the East Midlands have been at the forefront of delivering an effective response to the insidious and ever developing threat of Cybercrime. That response does not only focus on pursuing offenders, but a key element is helping people, businesses and organisations to protect themselves against attack.
The East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre will be an important vehicle to help businesses of all sizes in that aim, bringing together industry specialists, policing and academia in a way that pools our resources and capabilities to the greatest effect.
We are excited to be one of the first regions in the country to set up such an important organisation and we look forward to working with our businesses to make the East Midlands one of the safest places to be operating online.
Given that some of the existing Protect Officers also have cybercrime in their operations, how do you see the two areas working together?
All forces have Cyber Protect officers, who have an important role in reaching out to businesses and others, making it harder for criminals to exploit them. Those officers focus on people, businesses and organisations who are most at risk, and who may have already been victims of cybercrime.
The East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre will go further, with an expanded reach and set of capabilities, complementing the work of Cyber Protect officers in more and more businesses across the region.
If you would like to discuss any aspect of EMCRC support, membership or services, please contact us.