At the headquarters of the Danish police in the city of Denmark, officers are using a unique method to search for dangerous criminals. Instead of traditional methods, these advanced police officers spend hours playing video games like Counter-Strike. This unconventional approach to capturing criminals has proven to be effective in combating online crime.
Last year, a special forces detachment consisting of ten highly trained officers was established in response to the increase in cybercrime during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns. These law enforcement officers openly identify themselves as police officers by using their official nicknames while playing games. However, they may also operate undercover when necessary.
In order to make the internet safer for both children and adults, the Cyberpatrol detachment is active on platforms such as Twitch, Discord, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. Their main targets are financial scammers and sexual predators, although they do not limit their scope of investigation to just these individuals.
“In the same way that you see a police car patrolling the streets, now you can see the police in cyberspace,” explains Sissa Birkebek, the head of the Cyberpatrol detachment.
Miriam Michaelesen, a Danish lawyer and founder of the Association “Digital Responsibility,” has long advocated for increased police presence on the internet. She believes that the sight of a passing police car can have an impact on both victims and criminals, and the same applies to the online world.
Since its establishment in April 2022, the Cyberpatrol detachment has already initiated over 65 cases. “We encounter numerous instances of abuse and attempted harassment of adolescents. There are also many attempts to extort money from them and cases of fraud within the gaming community,” says Birkebek.
The officers in the cyber detachment actively play games such as CS:GO, Valorant, Fortnite, and FIFA. They use nicknames like “Officer 1,” “Officer 2,” and so on. These law enforcement officers play the games, observe the players, and initiate contacts, just like they would during ordinary patrols on the street. Additionally, they continue to carry out their duties outside of the virtual world, with most officers working in shifts of 2-3 individuals.
During their streams on Twitch, the officers openly announce their status: “Hello, we are police officers. We play and we need volunteers from the chat. You can come and play with us,” says 36-year-old officer Rimer Torup.
Currently, the police officers have amassed 127 thousand subscribers on TikTok, 23 thousand on Twitch, 10 thousand on Facebook