Police to step up monitoring of internet

Police are planning to monitor internet sites to target organised crime, violence and sexual offences.

Deputy Commissioner Rob Pope said the new strategy, still being finalised, had been developed to combat growing on-line crime.

"There is no doubt that crime committed with technological assistance is capturing the attention of police agencies around the globe," Mr Pope told the Press newspaper.

E-crime training and awareness would be intensified, he said.

The aim was to develop an understanding of the on-line environment, identifying who was offending, what offences were being committed or aided by technology, and when this was happening.

The strategy would enable police here to co-operate and collaborate with other agencies.

Parents, concerned their children are being targeted on social networking websites, have welcomed the move.

One parent, whose 15-year-old daughter had been offered drugs on an internet site, told the newspaper it was a step in the right direction. "In the States they are very active, specifically in protecting minors"

- NZPA