Hansard

I welcome this opportunity to discuss cybercrime and the devastating impact that it can have on people and businesses. I thank the Criminal Justice Committee clerks for all their work to arrange the evidence sessions and compile the committee’s report.

As was made clear throughout the evidence sessions, this problem is not going away—in fact, it is getting worse all the time, and more people are doing it. The technology that they are using is becoming more advanced. The criminals have more resources behind them—either from serious organised crime gangs, which always get themselves involved when they think that there is easy money to be made, or because of the increasing role that bad states such as Russia, Iran and North Korea are playing in this area.

This is a global problem, of course, but even the statistics for Scotland paint a grim story. According to official recorded crime data, there were an estimated 7,710 cybercrimes in Scotland in 2019-20. By 2024-25, the figure had almost doubled to 14,120. That equates to 38 incidents a day, which cover everything from fraud and extortion to sexual abuse and exploitation. We know that many such crimes are never reported, so the true picture is likely to be far worse.

The question that MSPs face is what to do about that. In the first instance, we must look to Police Scotland and the Scottish Government. I do not believe that this hugely complicated and difficult subject should be the source of an intense political blame game. Even if not a single person in Scotland was guilty of a cybercrime, the problem facing ordinary Scots from international threats would still be considerable. My contribution to the debate is therefore intended to be entirely constructive.

The police do great work in this area, but they need more support. The difficulties that the force faces when it comes to officer numbers and resources—not to mention the impossible environment in which the police work—have been well documented in the chamber. They have a specific ask on this topic, which I urge the Scottish Government to deliver in full.

Chief Constable Jo Farrell has said that Police Scotland needs £105 million just to stand still, in effect, when it comes to officer numbers, and that a further £33 million would enable her to strengthen the workforce. That includes £6 million specifically for tackling cybercrime. She has cited cybercrime as a major problem, while the Scottish Police Federation has said that the response to cybercrime is being weakened by a lack of cash.

When she delivers her budget in the new year, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government must give the police every penny that they need. That money is important, because it has been proven that, when the justice authorities are supported, they can make an impact.

The banking protocol, whereby police work with bank staff to spot potential fraud in customer transactions, helped to save Scots £750,000 in the first three months of this year. Hundreds of incidents were prevented—often ones that would have involved elderly and vulnerable customers transferring money or handing over sensitive data to people who wanted only to exploit them and cause them harm.

The Edinburgh-based Cyber and Fraud Centre Scotland, which is headed by Jude McCorry, has done some great work to raise awareness and encourage businesses to work together to avoid themselves and each other being scammed. Its cyber and fraud hub has helped more than 500 victims over the past year, has prevented hundreds of thousands of pounds from being lost and, in some cases, has helped people to recover what was lost.

The organisation has also done great work on encouraging women to get involved in cybersecurity. Recent events brought together about 200 women and girls in the hope of guiding them towards a career in that area. We, in the chamber, are all well aware that, if we want the very best people to be involved, we cannot afford 50 per cent of the population thinking that it is not a subject area for them.

Cybercrime targets the most vulnerable people in our society. The despicable criminals who indulge in it do that on purpose. Their merciless exploitation of elderly people—taking advantage of the possibility that they are not up to date with technology or that they may be susceptible to being tricked—is inexcusable. Similarly, those who target young girls online in the hope of exploiting them sexually deserve the most severe punishments. We, in this country, can only do our bit while hoping that international agencies and foreign Governments step up, too.

Police in Scotland require more specialist skills, digital forensics and sustained investment. The Scottish Government must match its words with actions, to ensure that we have enough officers and capability in the wider justice system to hold to account those who are responsible.

Nobody is safe from cybercrime: from huge companies such as Jaguar and Marks and Spencer to small Scottish businesses; from major Government agencies, such as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, to our smallest local authorities; and from wealthy individuals who are robbed of thousands to vulnerable people who lose everything that they own. That is why the problem deserves our utmost commitment and attention.