Current UK government policy lacks co-ordination, focus and urgency, says shadow home secretary

The Conservative Party has unveiled a number of measures it would use to tackle the growing problem of cyber crime in the UK.

A survey by YouGov today shows that the British population is worth £361bn to cyber criminals through poorly secured online data.

And the government is doing nothing to remedy the problem, according to Shadow home secretary David Davis.

"The government's approach to this growing threat lacks co-ordination, focus and urgency," he said.

"There's a strong sense it's in denial over the extent and the nature of the challenges facing this country from organised cyber crime – they do not even know the full extent of the problem."

The Conservative green paper recommends a number of measures including:

-Ratifying the international cyber crime convention.

-Fixing the gap left by rolling the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit into the Serious Organised Crime Agency with another agency.

-Introducing a data breach notification law

-Encouraging more internet security training in colleges

-Giving a specific minister the brief of co-ordinating cyber crime policy across government.

Recently the House of Lords committee on personal internet security extended its inquiry because it said the government response to its report was so disappointing.

The Home Office is still deciding whether to provide funding for a national e-crime co-ordination unit.