AC Angela McLaren joins Police CPI Board

Police CPI CEO Guy Ferguson says “We are delighted to welcome Angela McLaren to the Police CPI Board. I am confident that her experience in crime prevention in general and cyber-crime and fraud in particular will help us to make an even more effective contribution to reducing demands upon policing and keeping people safe.”

Assistant Commissioner Angela McLaren says: “I am delighted to be part of Police CPI. Policing is not just about solving crime, it is first and foremost about prevention. This is the best way to keep people safe and also provides better value for public money”.

Earlier this year the City of London Police became the national lead force for cyber-crime, a move which prompted the creation of a new Assistant Commissioner role to specifically oversee the significantly greater responsibilities the force now holds within the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) cyber-crime portfolio.

Angela started her career with Fife Constabulary in 1996 where she served in several operational and community roles up to the rank of Chief Inspector.

In 2013, she was appointed Project Manager for the Pathways to Policing Project at the Scottish Police College and, on promotion to Superintendent in 2014, was posted to D Division, Tayside where she held various portfolios.

In 2015, she was promoted to Chief Superintendent and appointed Divisional Commander of Fife Division where she led various operations and events. She was later selected to lead a team to produce the first long term strategy for policing in Scotland.

In June 2018, she was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable responsible for Operational Change and Resilience, a portfolio which included the Digitally Enabled Policing Programme and Strategic Design Authority.

In June 2019, ACC McLaren became the Executive Lead for Organised Crime, Counter Terrorism and Intelligence.

In December 2020, she joined City of London Police on promotion to the newly created role of Assistant Commissioner responsible for the Economic Crime and Cybercrime.

Police CPI’s range of crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives includes the Police Digital Security Centre (Police DSC), which is focused on helping micro and small businesses reduce their vulnerability to cyber-crime. It works closely with Government, industry and academia to raise awareness about the importance of cyber security, showing micro and small businesses how simple changes can protect them from the overwhelming majority of cybercrime.

The Police DSC manage an assessment scheme aimed at helping businesses work towards better cyber security. Digitally Aware is a fully automated online platform giving businesses an opportunity to test their resilience, providing them with a clear and easy to understand picture of their cyber security and any vulnerabilities, as well as giving them access to a range of resources that can help them improve their cyber security further.

The Police DSC also run the award winning ‘In the Community’ programme. Utilising an extensive network of partners, including local police forces, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Chambers of Commerce, Professional bodies and others, the Police DSC connect with local communities to provide practical support on how businesses can improve their security on site. This comprises of running digital security workshops, clinics and cyber training seminars, as well as going door to door in the High Street with representatives from the local police, visiting businesses to carry out cyber security assessments.

Police CPI is a not-for-profit organisation, which delivers significant crime reductions at no cost to the Police Service or the public purse. Senior police officers from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland control and direct the work Police CPI carries out on behalf of the Police Service.

www.policecpi.com