RIPE NCC and UK’s National Crime Agency Sign Memorandum of Understanding

The MoU formalises the existing relationship between the RIPE NCC and the National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) of the UK’s National Crime Agency, and was signed alongside the National Business Cybercrime Conference.

The RIPE NCC has worked with the NCCU in recent years providing training courses and other capacity building for the unit’s law enforcement officers in how to use the RIPE Database, RIPEstat and other public resources in the context of carrying out cybercrime investigations.

Axel Pawlik, RIPE NCC Managing Director (left) with Mike Hulett, NCA Head of Operations

“The law enforcement community is an important part of the larger RIPE community,” said Axel Pawlik, Managing Director of the RIPE NCC. “Everyone benefits from a more secure Internet, and the RIPE NCC has a wealth of technical expertise that can support the NCA in its mandate to make the Internet a safer place.”

The MoU focuses on cooperation between the RIPE NCC and the NCA in attending each other’s events, sharing information about cybercrime and Internet security trends, and enhancing the NCA’s involvement in the RIPE community through participation in RIPE Working Groups and the RIPE Policy Development Process.

“The training packages to be provided through this MoU will benefit officers across the NCA and wider UK law enforcement,” said Mike Hulett, NCA Head of Operations for NCCU. “Working with industry partners is vital in our mission to protect the public from cybercrime.”

The RIPE NCC also signed an MoU with Europol, the first MoU between the RIPE NCC and a law enforcement agency, in 2016.

This MoU is the latest formalised agreement for greater cooperation between the RIPE NCC and one of the many external organisations we work with, including governments, regulators, technical bodies, industry groups, law enforcement agencies, academic institutions and others. You can learn more about our external engagement with these parties in this RIPE Labs article, or see a list of the different agreements and memberships we have with external parties.