Scot-Secure 2020 was a chance for members of the technology community to discuss the challenges posed by cybercrime, and potential solutions to these.

But it wasn’t just business that was on the agenda. Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham from Police Scotland asks one simple question about cyber threats that applies to everyone: “If any of those things happen to you, you’re involved in that or you put yourself in that position, is picking up the phone and calling the police the first thing you would do? In my experience, probably not.”

Graham’s poignant opening question at an event that focuses on business challenges was a refreshing change of pace. It affects us all – private business and individuals alike.

He continues: “So, where does it all start? Society is changing at a rapid pace. You don’t need me to tell you that. We’ve seen an awful lot of that already and policing hasn’t necessarily kept up.”

The creation of the national police force in 2013 had a huge impact on the speed at which Police Scotland can manage changing cyber threats. When the force was building its strengths in skills and people for a wider organisation, the focus on data threats was put to one side. Police Scotland is now having to play catch-up.

The Scot-Secure event discussed how to build up security measures for your business, and creating new opportunities using data in an increasingly connected world.

Criminals are exploiting this on a global level, Graham says, causing implications for regular people and Scottish communities.

“We’re starting to better understand and see the evidence of that daily, whether it’s oil companies operating in the North Sea or vulnerable individuals sitting using a smartphone,” he explains.

It comes as no surprise that living our lives online can have negative consequences. Recent police statistics reveal that up to 61% of adults and 79% of 12- to 15-year-olds in Britain have experienced at least one harmful experience online in the past 12 months.

A further 2% reported identity theft, 4% reported social network or email accounts be tracked, 37% of adults encountered fraudulent emails and 23% of people avoided the use of public Wi-Fi because of security concerns.

The challenge for the police in trying to manage threats like these is massive, and the impact on Scottish Police forces have been significant.

“That’s a core part of what people might anticipate the police’s role to be; protecting the vulnerable, but it has been a kind of evolution in terms of the role of policing,” says Graham. “When I joined the police 25 years ago, we mainly policed in a public space, and at that time people’s notion of society was probably split in two: you’re either in a public space or a private space.

“The new age brings us into the digital space and people living their lives online, which is the next stage of evolution that is heavily contested in terms of what balance the police should seek by way of prevention and protection.”

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The police forces are currently stretched thin, dealing with not only the common problems that the public face, but now having to combat this new digital threat that they are not necessarily equipped for.

“There are massive workforce issues for policing,” Graham says. “We don’t recruit and maintain a workforce that’s equipped to deal with 21st-century threats because our workforce planning model is still largely based on the notion of what you might see the police doing on TV.

“There is an unprecedented need to take more proactive preventative approaches. But we can’t do that on our own. And, technically and culturally, we’re not attuned or equipped to partner with the range of bodies, many of whom will be represented by the people at Scot-Secure, but also in academia and the private sector, the third sector and other public sector organisations. We are not as well equipped as we should be to partner in a way that we need to.”

The most important thing, Graham says, is maintaining a strong relationship with the public. “The fundamental values and principles that underpin everything we do are policing by consent, and public service, as the single most important thing,” he adds.

“Policing are the public, and the public are the police. That is a fundamental cornerstone of the creation of modern policing in Scotland.”

It is important to highlight the ethical concerns surrounding privacy and data rights. Defending the rights of the public is important, according to Graham. “My contention is that consistently the police are defenders of human rights,” he explains.

“Our job is to defend those people’s rights, but we need to make sure that we can demonstrate how we’re taking the time to follow through on legitimate concerns that people have about the use of data, storage, sharing transfer and security of that data”.

So, what has Police Scotland been doing to prepare for this new age of digital policing?

“We’ve been building on doing a lot of good work,” Graham says. “We’ve had some great successes in tackling cybercrime threats to businesses, communities and individuals.

“We’re developing a new strategic approach to dealing with digital policing, cybercrime and cyber-resilience in the 21st century. We’ve been doing that, and a public consultation on that, based on the long-term policing strategy where cybercrime and digital safety are a key element, is out for consultation now.”

Collectively, Graham believes we need to deal with the ethical and rights concerns that are legitimate. “And we need to address them in a transparent way, upfront, to make sure that is not holding back the necessary progress to ensure that people and organisations are protected,” he adds.