Having worked on a police Cyber Crime Unit within the East Midlands for three and a half years I have seen the devastating and costly effect this type of crime can have on business. There can be no doubt that Cyber Crime is on the rise and is a real threat to business nationally due to the large potential gains of holding companies quite literally at ransom. The good news is that the majority of this crime is preventable and there is a wealth of information out there that the business community can tap into. With this vast amount of choice how can you be sure that you are getting the latest local and consistent advice on how to protect your company?
One successful model that already exists in this space is the Scottish Business Resilience Centre (SBRC) that works in structured partnership with Regional Policing, Academia and trusted partners in the private sector to deliver a comprehensive service to businesses around their vulnerabilities to Cyber Crime.
Due to the success of this centre the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) have agreed to initially fund this as part of the National cyber programme, through existing Cyber Crime budgets, more of these centres nationwide with the East Midlands Cyber Resilience Centre (EMCRC) being one of these. The development of the centre is being led by policing and facilitated by Business Resilience International Management (BRIM). Working alongside the five East Midlands Police Forces in Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire will provide the centre with access to the latest information on emerging cyber threats, criminal trends, best safeguarding practices and new technology to provide timely advice to assist in protecting business, staff and customers alike.
The EMCRC is open to all businesses in the East Midlands and provides tiered membership with core membership being free and along with the latest releases from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) we will link you in with your local police protect officer network to ensure that you are always kept up to date with the latest advice and trends in the area. The centre also works with leading Universities in the area and we are able through this partnership to offer further essential cyber security services to business at very affordable rates depending on individual tailored requirements. On top of that we work alongside our trusted partners who can provide further industry recognised certification in cyber essentials and cyber essentials plus. It is important to note that although the centre does offer these additional services it is a not for profit organisation and any revenue generated goes back into our efforts to keep businesses safe.
Meet the Team
MATT CARSON
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR
Matt started in policing in 2002 within the Derbyshire Constabulary. Most of this time has been spent as a Detective and since 2009 as a Sergeant working through Divisional CID, Specialist Units and Major Crime.
Since 2016, Matt has headed up the Forces Cyber Crime Unit overseeing all the P’s (Pursue, Protect, Prevent and Prepare) whist also being the Digital Media Coordinator for the Force and running a team of dedicated Digital Media Investigators.
Prior to policing Matt came from a finance and sales background having been a qualified financial advisor looking after his own agency. He then moved to working with and presenting to all sizes of business as a sales consultant for a well-known national marketing company.
Being part of the National Cyber Crime project Matt has benefited from training in a variety of Cyber related disciplines. Some that may be helpful in the new role will be his certificate in Information Security Management Principles, CSTA (Certified Security Testing Associate) Qualification in Ethical Hacking and he also holds the first membership certificate for the Institute of Information Security Professionals run by the College of Policing.
DAVID KIRBY
CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT
Dave joined the Derbyshire Constabulary in 1996 and qualified as a detective in 2001. He has performed a variety of roles, and has spent much of his operational career engaged in the fight against organised crime. Dave achieved promotion in 2012 and since then he has trained as a firearms commander and a Senior Investigating Officer, leading homicide enquiries in the East Midlands.
At more senior ranks Dave has again been focussed on tackling organised crime of all kinds, and reducing the harm it causes to communities. He has done this through a variety of roles, such as Director of Intelligence for Derbyshire, as regional lead for Cybercrime and as the National Coordinator for Serious and Organised Crime.
In May 2019 Dave was appointed Head of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), which is at the forefront of tackling serious and organised crime of all types, including Cybercrime.
CHRIS O’CONNELL
PROGRAMME MANAGER
Chris has been brought on board to work as part of the Project Team to coordinate and
support the implementation of the EMCRC.
Chris is a project implementation specialist with over twenty years’ experience helping
organisations deliver change programmes across regulated industries in telecoms, finance,
local government and policing.
Contact
All contact can be made through the website which is www.emcrc.co.uk
What Services will the EMCRC Provide?
Alongside the services already mentioned through core membership the centre will be able to provide the following additional services which will be available to every business in the East Midlands. There should be something to fit most business requirements in this space and available budget –
Security Awareness Training
Corporate Internet Investigation
Individual Internet Investigation
Remote Vulnerability Assessment
Internal Vulnerability Assessment
Web Application Vulnerability Assessment
Security Policy Review
Cyber Business Continuity Exercise
Further information about these services will soon be available through the website www.emcrc.co.uk