APCC Report: Response of Police and Crime Commissioners to online safety

Overview

This report aims to support PCCs in reflecting on their local approaches to online safety through an analysis of current activity and notable practice. This report has produced 9 intended recommendations for future work.

Online safety is a growing problem with increasing reports and high-level media coverage, and with strong links to violence against women and girls (VAWG), fraud and cybercrime. With the passing of the Online Safety Act 2023 and growing concerns across policing, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) undertook an exercise to review the response to online safety from Police and Crime Commissioners.

Key themes

• Awareness of online harms: PCCs play an important role in raising awareness of harmful issues and behaviours and undertaking preventative activity within their communities.

• The impact of online harms: In an increasingly online society, in which online harms and offences can have a devastating impact which is both visible and invisible on communities, PCCs hold an important role in ensuring law enforcement understands the impact that online harms has on their communities.
• Performance and accountability: PCCs have a statutory duty to hold their Chief Constables and forces to account for performance against tackling crime under the 4P approach (Pursue, Prepare, Protect, Prevent), and holding to account is essential to ensure that online safety is addressed within their local communities.
• Governance: PCCs governance structures are crucial to addressing online safety in their local communities, with multiple forms of governance being utilised to address online safety and hold their chief constables to account for performance against online offending and crime.
• Victims support services: PCCs have a crucial role in commissioning services to support victims and survivors of crime including for those affected by online offences

Summary of recommendations

Recommendation 1: Language and terminology around online harms should be consistently applied to increase public awareness and confidence in reporting.

Recommendation 2: Where PCCs are undertaking activity to raise awareness of the risk of online harms there should be opportunities to share practice and approaches.

Recommendation 3: Data and evidence collection on the prevalence and impact of online harms should be improved.

Recommendation 4: The public should be encouraged to report online crime when it happens. PCCs and forces should ensure that they are working to increase awareness amongst the public and staff, and that policing can respond effectively to reports of online offences

Recommendation 5: PCCs should have tools and guidance to support them in holding chief constables to account for force performance on online harms and chief constables should be supported to share appropriate evidence.