Australia Leads Five Eyes Nations in Cybercrime Reports

Canberra, Australia — At the third public hearing of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement's inquiry into the capability of law enforcement to respond to cybercrime, experts called for standardised training for cybercrime investigators across Australia's law enforcement agencies to address the country's growing cybercrime crisis. The hearing highlighted the need for a unified approach to equipping law enforcement with the skills necessary to combat increasingly sophisticated cybercriminal activities.

Australia currently reports the highest number of cybercrime incidents per capita among the Five Eyes nations. Despite this, law enforcement agencies face significant challenges in investigating cybercrime due to a lack of centralised, coordinated training. Experts stressed that standardised training for investigators would provide smaller, less-resourced agencies with the tools and knowledge to keep pace with cybercriminals who exploit technology to evade detection.

Standardised training for investigators is crucial to ensure that all agencies, regardless of size or resources, have the skills and tools to combat complex cyber threats," said Garren Hamilton, Managing Director of Captura Cyber. He emphasised the need for a centralised approach to training, similar to models in the USA, UK, and Canada, which provide all law enforcement personnel—regardless of agency size—access to the same high-level training and resources.

Hamilton also supported a recommendation made by the UK House of Commons Justice Committee that all law enforcement recruits receive cybercrime awareness training. He argued that Australia should adopt a similar approach to ensure that frontline officers are better equipped to handle the growing number of cyber-enabled crimes, such as online fraud and scams. Awareness training for recruits is not only necessary but essential to create a baseline capability across all levels of law enforcement," Hamilton added.

The inquiry is part of a broader effort to strengthen Australia's ability to respond to cybercrime, which has been rising faster than traditional crime categories.