Police to get share of £650m cybersecurity budget

The £650 million earmarked for cybersecurity will be shared among GCHQ, the police and other government departments, according to a senior official at the Office of Cyber Security and Information Assurance (OCSIA).

Ian McGhie, the deputy director, told ZDnet that the focus of cybersecurity operations would be on four key areas: enhancing national cybersecurity, improving defence of critical infrastructure, tackling cybercrime and improving education and skills in the sector.

In a speech earlier this year, Mr McGhie said that the key objectives of the National Cybersecurity Programme would be to take an unified approach to protect the Government, private sector and individuals, as well as international entities.

Sixty five per cent of the £650 million budget would be spent on developing capabilities to fight cybercrime and cyber-terrorism, 20 per cent allocated towards enhancing security of cyber infrastructure, nine per cent spent on tackling cybercrimes while five per cent would be held in reserves.