Police officers have been accused of dismissing reported cases of social media abuse because of a “worrying lack of understanding” regarding the issue, a new report has revealed.
In one case victims of online abuse were told their tormentors were “just kids on Facebook” while another example prompted an officer to respond to his complainant: “What do you expect us to do about it?”
Watchdogs have raised concerns about responses to anti-social behaviour online, which has emerged as a growing problem with a flurry of high-profile cases of “trolling”.
'How am I supposed to investigate'
A report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found some officers dismissive of complaints about the misuse of social media.
Other remarks included: “I do not use social media; how am I supposed to investigate it?”
In relation to one domestic abuse incident, a researcher was told than an individual “will not carry out the threat to stab her; otherwise he would not have posted the threat online”.
The study said the comments showed a “worrying lack of understanding”.
It cited an example of a teenage girl subjected to abuse on social media.
At the height of her despair, she decided to take an overdose before finally seeking support which helped her through her difficulties.
'Just kids on Facebook'
The report said this was not an isolated example, adding: “It is, therefore, all the more disturbing that one officer told us: ‘It is just kids on Facebook’.
“Such a response is indefensible.”
HMIC looked at the responses of six forces to offences committed online - South Wales Police has said it was one of the forces involved.
The others have not been identified by HMIC.
Convictions of “trolls” have increased eight-fold in the last decade.
Among high profile cases here Welsh footballer Ched Evans’ rape victim , who was identified on Twitter after being trolled by people supporting the disgraced sportsman.
The woman has a legal right to anonymity for life as a sex attack victim, but has been moved five times since Evans was convicted as trolls keep tracking her down and revealing new identities she has been given by the authorities.
Preventable crimes
Detective superintendent Chris Parsons, of South Wales Police’s covert operations management unit, said they have trained several hundred staff and will continue upskilling others on digital crime.
He added: “I must stress that 80% of digital and cyber crime matters are deemed preventable with some easy steps and it this prevention aspect that we focus on with key partners in law enforcement, industry and education.”
The HMIC study into digital crime also highlighted complaints from officers about the time it takes for devices to be examined.
This had an impact on the willingness of victims to co-operate and some forces resorted to outsourcing the examination of gadgets to private firms, with one spending more than £180,000 in a year.
The study found a lack of understanding in relation to the investigation of fraud, saying: “In two separate forces, we were told by neighbourhood policing officers that they didn’t understand the process and they would advise victims who reported frauds to call 101.”
'Conclusions not valid'
There remains a perception among victims that police are not well-equipped to deal with what has happened to them, the report added.
HMIC, which spoke to eight victims of cyber offences such as romance fraud, hacking and stalking, said it recognised that the sample is not large enough to draw “statistically valid conclusions”.
Lucy Hastings, director of charity Victim Support, said: “The failure of some police forces to recognise the seriousness of online crime and the vulnerability of victims is of serious concern.”
'Growing problem'
Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh, of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, said the scale of cyber-crime “continues to grow”.
He said: “Considerable efforts and resources have been allocated to protect vulnerable people, but more still needs to be done.
“We will be allocating funding and resources for digital investigation which will be invested to build the skills, knowledge and capabilities needed to protect all members of the public, including the most vulnerable, from harm.”
A Home Office spokeswoman said tens of millions of pounds is being invested to help forces develop specialist capabilities to tackle cyber crime.
“The police must be able to investigate digital crime as effectively as they do traditional crime,” she said.
#SEE- http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/its-just-kids-facebook-report-10640913
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