Charles Miranda | July 18, 2008
TEENS as young as 14 have been recruited by the Australian Federal Police to help fight online crime - recognition they are more net savvy than veteran agents.
Yesterday, 20 teenagers began working with the AFP in an Australian-first to develop strategies to catch cyber fraudsters, predators and even those grooming youths for acts of terrorism.
The move is part of a worldwide program, with children in the US, Canada, UK and 23 other countries being recruited and deputised to help fight e-crime.
The AFP said the move was not a gimmick or an experiment but recognition that evolving technology was truly only understood by those who used it as part of their everyday lives.
The young were also best placed to identify evolving crime, including cyber bullying and identity theft, as well as helping police develop strategies to warn parents.
AFP high tech crime centre head Kevin Zuccato said: "We realised the only way to do that effectively was to listen to digital natives, the young people of today and those born into the internet".
"It's almost programmed into their DNA how to use technology and how to navigate around the ocean that is the internet."
"For us 30-, 40-, 50-year-old police officers, policy makers and government officials, it's impossible - in my view - to develop appropriate effective strategies unless we listen to the people we're trying to protect."
Mr Zuccato said teens gave advice about chat room chatter, jargon and code used in mobile phone SMS.
"(The teens) can help us dissuade criminals, educate children to stay safe online, empower themselves to make the right decisions online and if we can provide policies with their information that means we minimise the number of victims," he said.
Twenty teenagers from Canberra were brought to the UK as part of a global strategy to use their knowledge to develop a charter for the UN.
One recruit, 15-year-old Ella, said she hoped what she knew and could pass on to police would help others.
The Daily Telegraph