The information ages has introduced new technology and has increased policing and crime prevention, but sadly, has invented new ways of committing crimes via technology, particularly through computing systems.
Hacking and Identity Theft
There are currently thousands of crimes being committed through the internet. These criminals are using a number of different methods in order to take what they require from the un-expecting members of the general public. There are a several reasons why people commit felony via the internet, but the most common reason being for theft of money. Other reasons being to damage computers by causing viruses, or to attempt impersonating another person by stealing their identity. Theft of money is the most popular misdeed committed through the internet, the reason being it is easiest to do as the number of people buying and selling products is so high, meaning the transfer of credit and debit card details is extremely high. The main reason it’s so easy for criminals to get hold of these details is because members of the public are unaware they are handing their details over to an unsecure website, leaving criminals open to steal details whenever they like.
Many computer criminals will make an attempt to hack large businesses, in the hope they will be able to steal data and important information on a large scale. There was a story back in 2011 about a group of cyber criminals who made an attack on the PlayStation network; they managed to steal millions of pieces of data from PlayStation users. Here is a story that was in the news referring to this story: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/sony/9822973/Sony-fined-over-PlayStation-hack.html
If a business’s information is stolen it is bad news for the businesses reputation. It would result in all information having to be collected again; some customers will feel reluctant to do so as they fear their information being stolen again.
Cyber Bullying
Another crime via the internet is cyber bullying. This occurs frequently today, most commonly on social networking sites such as Facebook. However this only tends to occur between the younger generations.
Phishing
Another popular felony via the internet is known as phishing. These criminals spend several hours trying to devise the best possible plan to make you fall into their trap. The most common attempts are done by sending masses of e-mails with links to dangerous and false websites. It is quite simple to tell the difference between a fake and a real website.
Anti-virus
The most efficient method of protection of protection to prevent any harm to your machine is to install anti-virus software; this will protect your system from all viruses, making it possible to check all e-mails including phishing scams if you are unsure how to tell the difference between a fake website and legitimate website.
Home security systems
The first home video security system was invented in 1969; this is when they were purely video surveillance. However, today home security has evolved to become a system made up of sensors, a control panel and alert mechanism. They were made to alert homeowners of any burglary, property damage by sounding an alarm.
Advantages of home security systems:
· They can be integrated with fire alarms to do two jobs at once.
· Some systems alert the emergency line immediately if the alarm is triggered, the household is then phoned to be checked if they’re in any kind of danger.
· Seeing that a home is fitted with a security system may put of potential criminals.
· Having a home security system can lower home insurance.
· Makes home owners feel more comfortable about going away on a holiday.
Disadvantages of home security systems:
· Emergency service may be contacted for no reason if triggers are set of automatically, therefore wasting their time.
· Quite expensive to purchase and install.
· If alarm is ignored or not working a burglary can still occur without much difficulty.
CCTV
Another method of crime prevention is CCTV which was introduced in 1994 and stands for ‘closed circuit television’, it is hugely important to the police today. This allows the police to see what’s occurring at a certain location without physically having to be there. CCTV cameras capture footage and transmit it into monitors. These systems are installed into places such as: airports, banks, casinos, car parks, pubs, estates and shopping stores.
In the past it has been said that CCTV does nothing to help with the prevention of crime. But in 2002 but BBC explained how CCTV has help to help who did what crimes, ‘Britain is being a place which is becoming caught on video tape’ quoted the BBC. The average citizen is now being caught on CCTV cameras at least 300 times a day; this shows the CCTV is tracking everyone’s every move. The most commonly places CCTV cameras tend to be found today is in to centre of towns or cities; they have cameras installed above buildings, in shops and many speed cameras around the area. Shop cameras are useful and effective as they catch people who attempt to steal items. Traffic cameras are useful as they control the amount of traffic. Speed cameras ate often found around the area as well, these are to keep people safe from having any accident, and if someone is caught speeding the camera can record an image of the car meaning their personal number plate is caught also, meaning the driver can then be prosecuted for this crime.
Facts on crime today:
· The BBC shows that in April 2012 street theft has increased but the overall crime rate has decreased.
· Street theft has increased by 10% in England and Wales.
· Police say the crime rate has fallen 3% since 2010.
Crime mapping
Crime mapping is a method used by the police and law enforcement; it involves plotting the places where crime has occurred on a map. This gives us a visual representation of the crime levels in a particular area to the public.
Advantages of crime mapping:
· It allows people to area themselves of where in the area there have been high levels of crime.
· People can monitor the effectiveness of the policing in the area and whether the crime rates are lowering or increasing.
· Crime map is easy to read as it displays the crime simply in numbers.
· The online map gives you information about who is on patrol in your area and their contact details.
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Disadvantages of crime mapping:
· High crime rates in certain areas can cause the pricing of house to drop drastically.
· People may become scared or very paranoid about the place they live or are visiting.
Fingerprint recognition technology
One method of capturing criminals today is by tracking down their fingerprints, it is proven the most popular and effective method of identifying people who had a connection with a crime scene. As technology is so advanced today, the fingerprints can simply be scanned electronically; a database is then used to find a match within minutes.
Advantages of fingerprint recognition technology:
· Using scanners instead of paper and ink takes far less time to identify a match.
· It is an accurate and reliable method of identification.
· Fingerprint recognition can increase the security of important places or documents.
Disadvantages of fingerprint recognition technology:
· When a fingertip is cut or burnt it can change, therefore a fingerprint cannot always be useful.
· Expensive to buy, especially to build an existing system.
· Fingerprint scanners can produce errors.
A facial recognition system is a computer application that once installed can automatically identify a person by verifying their face using a digital image or a video frame from a video source. This is done by comparing selected facial features from the image; these features are saved into a facial database.
It is typically used in security systems; it can also be compared to other biometrics such as fingerprint recognition systems.
Crime Prevention and Data Handling
The amount of crime in the information age as well as everyday public occurrences has increased as each year goes by. However, more efficient methods of crime prevention have been introduced. A great example of this being the databases that the police now have access to, they have the ability to store huge amounts of data about anyone in the country. These databases consist of information such as previous convictions, personal information such as name and you fingerprints, if they have been taken.
The police can now filter information about anyone within an instant; this is valuable to them as it saves time. One main advantage of storing data this way is there is no paper needed; meaning a lot less space is needed to store data manually. The police used to have to sort all this information by hand, which took a long time, and made it easy to miss something important.
These databases that the police hold contain such important information, such as custody reports for prisoners which need to stay with the police force and kept private, this is the same for the documents containing information on preparation for court cases. Within the law enforcement, there is a ‘Criminal Justice Extract’, this is a network that allows the police and other organisations to communicate and share documents safely and securely.
It is now possible for crimes to be reported via the internet, it is only suitable for minor crimes to be reported this way, considering major crimes such as murder or emergencies need to act up on immediately. This service is available at http://www.police.uk/.
Police National Computer
The PNC was first introduced in 1974 with the stolen vehicles database; it has now grown to include many things such as wanted or missing people and a missing property database.
NPIC - National Policing Improvement Agency – this is the website where you can get masses of information on various crimes. http://www.npia.police.uk/en/home.htm
Why is the PNC so useful?
The PNC is a national system and can be accessed 24 hours a day throughout the year; it allows sharing of information through a secure network. This method of sharing information is quick, efficient and provides a useful source of information which is then used as a tool for investigating crimes.
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