NSW Police has expanded its cooperation with the Australian eSafety Commissioner to fight the rising tide of criminal activity online, including tech-facilitated violence, hate, sexual extortion, child abuse and youth crime.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb (pictured right) said the updated Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed with eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, would see eSafety share information from investigations into some of the thousands of complaints it received every month.
Ms Inman Grant (pictured left) said that while eSafety was equipped with civil powers to address many online harms, it was vital that the Commission also work with law enforcement to target perpetrators and identify victims in more serious criminal matters.
“As the largest law enforcement agency in the Southern Hemisphere, NSW Police are a mission-critical partner for us as we work to jointly tackle online harms at scale and educate the NSW community about eSafety’s role,” Ms Inman Grant said.
“Reports to eSafety have spiked alarmingly across all our reporting schemes in recent times,” she said.
“We recorded a 65 per cent jump in cyberbullying last financial year alone, for example, a 55 per cent increase in image-based abuse and a 45 per cent increase in illegal and restricted content.”
As well as higher volumes, Ms Inman Grant said eSafety had also observed online content and threats becoming more violent and, at times, criminal.
“As a result, we’re seeing increased community concern about everything from online dating to sextortion, cyberbullying and youth crime being shared and promoted through social media,” the Commissioner said.
She said MoU updated protocols to reflect eSafety’s expanded role and powers under the Australian Online Safety Act.
