North Wales Police and Wrexham University event aimed at combating rising menace of cybercrime

In an ambitious initiative to combat the rising menace of cybercrime, the North Wales Police Cyber Crime Team, together with the North Wales Police & Crime Commissioner and Wrexham Glyndwr University, held a significant cyber security event on Wednesday 14th June.

Attended by nearly 90 people, the conference featured prominent guest speakers from various organizations such as the National Cyber Security Centre, North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, Cyber Wales, Cyber Resilience Centre for Wales, Get Safe Online and Wrexham Glyndwr University. Notable attendees included North Wales Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, Police & Crime Commissioner Andy Dundobbin, Deputy Police & Crime Commissioner Wayne Jones, and the Vice Chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University.

This ground-breaking conference zeroed in on key aspects of cyber security, with a focus on supporting Welsh businesses and organisations, providing advice on avoiding phishing attacks, sharing real-life accounts from victims of cybercrime, and showcasing Glyndwr University’s contributions towards developing future cyber professionals.

DC Roheryn Evans of the Cyber Crime Team stressed the increasing impact of cybercrime on small and large businesses, charities, community groups and individuals alike. Evans highlighted the limitations smaller organisations face due to budget constraints, explaining that, “Even though a business may be small, they still employ staff members and may still have a considerable turn over.”

In response to this growing threat, the event aimed to raise awareness and demonstrate that effective cyber security doesn’t have to break the bank. Evans added, “Guest speakers included the National Cyber Security Centre, who spoke about their free tools to help small businesses.”

The conference highlighted the critical importance of identifying and reporting spam and phishing messages, the role of staff training in ensuring security, and the support available for improving cyber security within SMEs and charities.

Concluding the event, Leanne Davies from Wrexham University’s Cyber Security and Computing department shared insight on the institution’s efforts to equip the next generation of cyber security specialists, emphasising the collective resolve to keep North Wales cyber secure.

This event was an important step towards bolstering cyber resilience in North Wales, serving as a powerful reminder that help is available for those facing the digital frontier’s ever-evolving challenges.