Perceptions of Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Responses From Across the Pond: A Comparison of US and UK Line Officers

The examination of how local law enforcement has responded to various forms of cybercrime may be one of the least studied but most important topics facing our field. Much of the literature focuses on the roles that law enforcement has or should have in responding to cybercrime and the challenges that it faces in doing so. Few scholars have examined what police management or line officers think about cybercrime, including its seriousness, frequency, and what should be done about it. In this presentation, the perceptions of what UK constables think about both the seriousness and frequency of cybercrime as well as the best strategies to address cybercrime are discussed and compared with that of U.S. police officers.