Faceless-Oriented Policing: Traditional Policing Theories are Not Adequate in a Cyber World

This article examines traditional policing theories in a cyber world and defines ‘Faceless-Oriented Policing’ (FOP). FOP policing theory is centred on cyber-world crimes. Many traditional policing theories do not apply when crimes are committed online. FOP has multiple tenets outlining the explanation of policing utilising the internet as a faceless venue to commit crimes and how to investigate these crimes. Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) and Community-Oriented Policing (COP) are two of the most popular policing theories utilised today in the United States. These strategies, while successful in response to conventional crime, are not easily applied to cyber crimes. Getting close to the community is really not the solution. The visible aspects of much of these offences are absent or drastically altered. In the event that detection is possible, one must contend with the escalation of certain activities online due to the overall perception that they are not detectable. The internet has not created new vices. It has made many traditional vices more accessible to the general public. If the public can remain anonymous while committing crimes, some people will become more willing to pursue these vices. The internet has also allowed a person to practise these vices around the world rather than in just their own small segment of the world.