There’s no denying that crime is, has been, and will continue to be a problem; there’s also no denying that crime has grown to the point where illicit operations may now be carried out on a worldwide scale. What has permitted crime organisations to grow into large operations dealing in drugs and other illegal substances across all sectors of the world?
Unfortunately, the technology that has propelled mankind to unprecedented heights in terms of knowledge and understanding is now assisting those among us who have bad intentions. With the internet reaching 59 percent of the world’s population, it’s easy to understand how crooks may take advantage of the system and harm millions.
But how has the relationship between crime and technology changed through time?
People on the internet are readily capable of recruiting, planning, and funding their criminal activities while keeping anonymous while building up a force all from the comfort of their own homes, thanks to the emergence of the cyber world.
Isn’t it terrifying? It’s getting worse.
Cybercrime has often been proved to be one of the most difficult crimes to track down and prosecute, as well as one of the most dangerous. The most serious problem with cyber crime is a lack of reporting; whereas watching someone being attacked in the real world would prompt anybody to go for their phone, this does not seem to be the case online. People are not only less inclined to report cyber crime, but they also don’t know how; there is no specific cyber-crime reporting line, and it may be difficult to discern what is and isn’t cyber-crime, and therefore what to report in many circumstances.
Another important factor in why cyber thieves get away with it is jurisdiction. Because of the worldwide nature of the internet, most cyber criminals are capable of committing crimes in locations where they do not really dwell. As a result, the region where the crime occurred had no possibility of pursuing the perpetrators since it lacks jurisdiction over them. This has been an issue in the past; for example, in one of the most well-known incidents of cybercrime, the NHS’ computer system was entirely shut down in 2017. The “WannaCry” malware impacted systems in 150 countries, putting legal authorities in a tight position when it comes to hunting down the hacker and prosecuting them properly.
So cyber security has exploded in popularity, and it’s becoming more tough to track down and prosecute prospective crooks, but what about physical crime?
Well, it seems that physical crime has the opposite impact, as shown by the following figures:
Physical Crime in the United Kingdom
In 2010, 4.58 million crimes were reported in the United Kingdom.
The latest crime rate in the United Kingdom was 6.3 million.
As you can see, there has been a huge increase in physical and violent crime in the United Kingdom.
Seeing an almost 2 million rise in crime in less than a decade may be intimidating, and it is in some ways. But what is the reason of this, and how does it, if at all, connect to technology?
Unfortunately, the news is… We don’t really know, and there’s no clear way of knowing what is and isn’t causing the problems that plague our society today.
There are, nevertheless, some hypotheses.
For one thing, social media is being hailed as a godsend to the criminal underground; the ability to interact with anybody anywhere in the globe is always a positive, but that has been the case for years. The ability to hunt down precisely anyone you want with a few clicks is a dangerous proposition. The fundamental draw of social media is the personal information provided in practically everyone’s profile. When it comes to recruiting or locating victims, all it takes is a quick trip to Facebook or Twitter to learn all you need to know about someone.
Conclusion
With all of this in mind, where do we stand now in terms of crime in relation to the past?
Well, cyber crime looks to be on the rise, and given how tough it is to protect oneself as well as discover the crooks in question, there is no simple method to monitor or pursue them. However, cyber security organisations have sprung up, with huge behemoths like CrowdStrike leading the charge and covering 12 of the 20 largest global corporations. The only way to truly ensure you are cyber secure is to prevent an attack from occurring in the first place, rather than attempting to repair the damage after it has occurred.
On the other hand, the physical criminal sector is now seeing an updraft, which is rather concerning. While we have mostly covered social media, there might be a variety of causes for this, ranging from rising poverty and homelessness rates to overcrowding. It is tough to get to the base of the problem. We can hopefully reduce this number by investing more in police technology such as bodycams, tasers, and mobile thumbprint devices, making Britain a safer place to live and work.
Physical Crime in the United Kingdom
In 2010, 4.58 million crimes were reported in the United Kingdom, by 2020 it was 6.3 million.
As you can see, there has been a huge increase in physical and violent crime in the United Kingdom.
Seeing an almost 2 million rise in crime in less than a decade may be intimidating, and it is in some ways. But what is the reason of this, and how does it, if at all, connect to technology?
Unfortunately, the news is… We don’t really know, and there’s no clear way of knowing what is and isn’t causing the problems that plague our society today.
There are, nevertheless, some hypotheses.
For one thing, social media is being hailed as a godsend to the criminal underground; the ability to interact with anybody anywhere in the globe is always a positive, but that has been the case for years. The ability to hunt down precisely anyone you want with a few clicks is a dangerous proposition. The fundamental draw of social media is the personal information provided in practically everyone’s profile. When it comes to recruiting or locating victims, all it takes is a quick trip to Facebook or Twitter to learn all you need to know about someone.
Conclusion
With all of this in mind, where do we stand now in terms of crime in relation to the past?
Well, cyber crime looks to be on the rise, and given how tough it is to protect oneself as well as discover the crooks in question, there is no simple method to monitor or pursue them. However, cyber security organisations have sprung up, with huge behemoths like CrowdStrike leading the charge and covering 12 of the 20 largest global corporations. The only way to truly ensure you are cyber secure is to prevent an attack from occurring in the first place, rather than attempting to repair the damage after it has occurred.
On the other hand, the physical criminal sector is now seeing an updraft, which is rather concerning. While we have mostly covered social media, there might be a variety of causes for this, ranging from rising poverty and homelessness rates to overcrowding. It is tough to get to the base of the problem. We can hopefully reduce this number by investing more in police technology such as bodycams, tasers, and mobile thumbprint devices, making Britain a safer place to live and work.
If you’re in Glasgow or Lanarkshire and want to make your home safer from criminals? Call Ultimate Alarms today
