Hansard

Like other members, I am delighted to speak in the debate as a member of the Criminal Justice Committee. Scotland thrives when it is confident, connected and secure in today’s world, and that means being a digitally secure and resilient nation. Digital technology can no longer be considered a separate sector of our economy. It underpins almost everything that we do, from how businesses trade and grow, how public services are delivered and how families stay in touch to how communities organise themselves. Digital systems shape our daily lives and Scotland’s future prosperity. They are driving economic growth, opening up new opportunities and helping Scotland to compete in a global stage.

As other members have said, however, that opportunity brings responsibility. As our reliance on digital technology grows, so, too, does the importance of cyber resilience and digital safety. We all depend on websites, apps, systems and data, often without even giving it a second thought. They make life more convenient, efficient and connected, yet, in a digitally connected world, convenience comes at a cost.

Cyberthreats are increasing in scale and sophistication. Incidents of cyberoffending and online harm are increasing in number, whether that is criminals seeking to exploit vulnerable people, disrupt essential services or use online activity as a gateway to wider offending. The point was made to us as a committee that such risks are no longer abstract or confined to large organisations but affect individuals, families, small businesses, charities, schools and public bodies alike. In many cases, crimes that we once thought of as traditional, such as fraud, domestic abuse, stalking and exploitation, now have a clear cyber or digital dimension.

The new reality has profound implications for policing and public safety. This morning, ahead of the debate, the Scottish Police Authority wrote to the committee about that. Police Scotland’s 2030 vision, which was launched last year, recognises the changing landscape and has a clear focus on safer communities, less crime, supported victims and a thriving workforce. Crucially, it includes a commitment to strengthen Scotland’s response to cybercrime and fraud, which includes establishing a dedicated cyber and fraud unit and developing specialist skills and training across the workforce. The SPA provides robust oversight of that work through its policing performance committee, which ensures transparency, scrutiny and public accountability.

We are already seeing tangible progress. Police Scotland has established its cyber and fraud unit, which will continue to evolve as demand grows. Work is already under way to join the UK-wide fraud and cybercrime reporting and analysis service, which will help to improve intelligence, consistency and victim support. Alongside that, the policing in a digital world programme is equipping officers and staff to respond to cybercrime using the four Ps approach: pursue, protect, prepare and prevent.

Innovation plays a vital role. The introduction of tools such as the child abuse image database, which uses face-matching technology, has transformed how officers work by using artificial intelligence to reduce the time that is spent reviewing images and to allow greater focus on identifying victims and safeguarding children. Digital forensic vans are speeding up investigations and reducing the time that people are separated from their devices. Police Scotland’s cyber alarm is supporting businesses and organisations across Scotland to identify vulnerabilities and protect themselves from attack.

We must be clear about the scale of the challenge. The number of recorded crimes with a cyber element continues to grow, and new performance measures that have been introduced by Police Scotland show a rising volume of cyber-tagged crimes. However, those figures still underestimate the true picture. Many offences, from fraud to domestic abuse, are enabled by everyday technology and leave a digital footprint, even if they are not yet consistently recorded as cyber-related. Improving our understanding of that complexity is essential if policing resources are to be effectively directed and victims are to be properly supported.

Digital forensics is therefore central to modern justice. The ability to identify, extract and present digital evidence is now integral to investigations, yet demand is increasing faster than capacity. The Scottish Police Authority continues to scrutinise Police Scotland’s approach to building a sustainable digital forensic capability, because it recognises that evidential integrity, public trust and victim confidence all depend on it. Meeting those challenges is a shared responsibility, and the Government has a vital role to play, but it cannot act alone, which is a point that has just been made by Rona Mackay. The Scottish National Party Government is determined to do everything that it can within its powers to strengthen cyber resilience. It will work closely with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority, the UK Government and the National Cyber Security Centre on reserved matters, and it will work, where appropriate, with our European partners.

Our wider approach is rooted in partnership. We work with industry, academia, the third sector and local government, because collective effort is essential if we are to safeguard people and unlock the economic potential of a secure digital future. Collaboration is not an optional extra; it is the only effective response to threats that constantly evolve. That is why Scotland places such emphasis on preparedness, detection and response. The Scottish cyber co-ordination centre plays a crucial role in promoting effective incident response and recovery, which helps organisations to act quickly and confidently when incidents occur. That work is guided by the strategic framework for a cyber resilient Scotland, which was developed with partners through the CyberScotland partnership. A key development in that framework is the cyber observatory, which will strengthen intelligence sharing, improve early warning of emerging threats and help to target support to where it is needed most. Together, those efforts will help to ensure that cyber resilience is embedded across sectors rather than treated as an afterthought.

A secure digital environment builds trust. Trust enables investment. Investment supports growth and inclusion. Growth, in turn, strengthens Scotland’s ability to thrive in an increasingly digital world. Cyber resilience, at its best, fosters confidence to innovate, connect and ensure that Scotland is ready to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. By continuing to work together, we can ensure that Scotland remains not only digitally connected but digitally secure, resilient and fit for the future.

Like other members, including Liam McArthur, I thank the Criminal Justice Committee, particularly its clerks, for allowing us to provide good scrutiny of the matter. We must continue to scrutinise it well into the future, particularly as the threat of cybercrime grows.