The new national cyber-crime centre could be a toothless wonder unless UK companies tighten their security policies allowing police to snoop on their data.

Home Secretary Jack Straw last week opened the High-Tech Crime Unit (HTCU), the country's first national law enforcement organisation for computer-based crime. It was funded by a Government cash injection of £25m.

Arlene Brown, managing director at security company Network ICE, argued that the unit was an encouraging step to creating a safer internet, but warned against the continuing UK trend of failing to live up to computer security promises.

"This unit will not act as a 'magic wand' to be waved by authorities to get rid of internet crime," she said. "A culture of chronic under-reporting of security breaches gives a false sense of security and must be addressed if we are to learn from mistakes."

At the same time, civil liberties groups are concerned that increased policing by the national crime unit could compromise the privacy of electronic company data.

Yaman Akdeniz, head of Cyber Rights and Cyber Liberties, said the HTCU should be "open and accountable" and publish results on arrests and warrants issued to intercept data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

The HTCU will work with law enforcement experts selected from the National Crime Squad, the National Criminal Intelligence Service, HM Customs and Excise and police forces, and aims to form a partnership with the IT industry.

Detective Chief Superintendent Len Hynds, head of HTCU, said the centre sent a "powerful message" about how law enforcement agencies and Government were treating the threat of hi-tech crime.

The cyber-crime unit will focus on offences such as hacking and denial of service attacks, and assist local forces in crimes that use IT tools, such as fraud, identity theft and stalking.

It will base 40 investigators in London and recruit 40 elsewhere in the country over the next six months to reach full capacity in three years.

Also published in Network News