NCRCG CyberVersed Podcast: Episode 44 - Police Cyber Alarm

The National Cyber Resilience Centre Group (NCRCG) have just released episode 44 of their podcast, 'CyberVersed', covering the Police Cyber Alarm.

In episode 44, Mandy Haeburn-Little is joined by Nick Bell, Police CyberAlarm Lead for NPCC National Cybercrime Team.

Nick Bell is an award-winning security leader and former Detective Superintendent with 30 years in policing. He is a former CEO of the National Cyber Resilience Centre Group, where he launched the CRC network, National Ambassador programme, and Cyber PATH to support SMEs and develop future cyber talent. Nick is experienced in leading investigations into cybercrime, digital forensics, fraud, and cryptocurrency, with a track record of building national programmes and partnerships. Nick was also named Outstanding Security Director of the Year 2023 at the Tackling Economic Crime Awards.

Nick and Mandy discuss his new role and his vision to achieve significant growth for Police CyberAlarm and for it to become a trusted brand in the digital space. During the discussion, Nick explains why it is essential to raise Police CyberAlarm's profile, which he hopes will be achieved by working with third-party organisations such as the National Ambassador companies to demonstrate and deliver exceptional value to businesses and policing.

During the podcast, Nick and Mandy explore what PoliceCyberAlarm is and why it is an essential tool for both businesses and policing. Police CyberAlarm is a free monitoring tool that Nick likens to CCTV for your business. It is an 'always on' monitoring tool installed on your external systems to track activity, such as attempted intrusions. Users receive a monthly activity report that is easily digestible, enabling them to take any required action to bolster their cyber resilience.

Simultaneously, law enforcement can build an accurate picture of the current and ever-changing threat landscape, enabling them to issue targeted alerts to specific businesses about threats that may affect them. So, businesses are not only protecting themselves, they are also helping to gather information and intelligence at scale by providing critical, real-time intelligence that provides law enforcement with relevant data to reduce cybercrime harm and improve national cyber resilience.

Nick also shares some helpful examples of how Police CyberAlarm has assisted a range of organisations, from those in the public sector to small businesses in the private sector.

Nick is clearly passionate about expanding the adoption of Police CyberAlarm throughout the UK, and is hopeful that he and his team will see real growth, especially with Managed Service Providers and public sector partnerships and with a simplified sign-up and installation process.

If you would like to listen to this episode, you can find it directly below, or listen via the NCRCG website.

Reporting a live cyber-attack 24/7:

If you are a business, charity or other organisation which is currently suffering a live cyber-attack (in progress) please call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 immediately. This service is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week.

Reporting a cyber-attack which isn’t ongoing:

Please report online to Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime. You can report cybercrime online at any time using the online reporting tool, which will guide you through simple questions to identify what has happened. Action Fraud advisors can also provide the help, support, and advice you need.

Alternatively, you can call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 (textphone 0300 123 2050).