IT advisory body Eurim, whose members include blue chips and MPs, hascalled for the UK to lead international efforts to fight e-crime. However, it added that UK law-enforcement agencies are currently under-funded and under-manned in this area.

Eurim published a discussion paper, Partnership Policing for the Information Society, calling for the UK to be a hub for international co-operation and investigation of e-crimes. But the report also warned that the UK is poorly funded in its efforts at present.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard last week announced it would run three seminars on IT crime this year. The seminars are designed to help firms improve the detection and prevention of computer crime.

Richard Starnes, security evangelist at training firm ISC2, said the fact that Scotland Yard was charging attendees of its seminars almost £500 each showed that it needed more cash for such initiatives.

"Funding to fight e-crime is not insignificant, but the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit and other UK bodies have a budget that is not indicative of the seriousness of their investigations," Starnes argued.

Starnes supported Eurim's calls for the UK to lead the fight against IT crime. "(The UK) has a large number of organisations and associations that are involved in (fighting) e-crime, and some very forward-thinking groups," he said. "It would be a natural venue for resolution."

Eurim said the UK's positioning and reputation could encourage bodies worldwide to turn to its experts for advice, and suggested that the UK should use its term in the EU presidency later this year as an opportunity to develop this model.

However, Starnes said the UK would have to prove it is capable of fulfiling this role: "I do not see how this would work(in practice)."

Eurim called for the establishment of a central reporting and information-holding organisation to act as a clearing house for online incidents. This body would be responsible for publishing best practice guidelines for crime investigation and reporting.

Another suggestion is that civilians should be accredited in some way to work alongside law-enforcement bodies on investigations. Eurim warned that currently there are less than 100 experts in the UK being used in this manner.