Police chief calls on countries to follow PIPCU lead
A UK police chief has called for global cooperation and a worldwide day of action targeting those involved in widespread piracy.
City of London Police Commander Steve Head said other countries should adopt a similar approach to the City of London’s Police IP Crime Unit (PIPCU), a temporary unit set up specifically to target IP crime.
Head said PIPCU was a “pioneer” in the way it has tackled IP crime and had embraced “new and innovative initiatives” to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks.
“This work includes close collaboration with private-sector organisations inadvertently supporting IP crime either through advertising or allowing payment provision on websites that are providing illegal access to copyrighted material,” he added.
Speaking at the International Law Enforcement IP Crime Conference in Vietnam today (September 24), Head recommended that other countries adopt a similar approach and engage with multiple agencies to implement prevention and disruption initiatives.
The conference, which is being co-hosted by international police organisation Interpol and the Vietnam National Police, has more than 500 public and private delegates from nearly 70 countries.
PIPCU is a specialist police unit dedicated to protecting the UK industries that produce legitimate, hard-copy goods and online and digital content from IP crime.
The operationally independent unit launched in September 2013 and is being funded by the UK Intellectual Property Office until next year.
