Meet Cyber Prevent and Protect Officer, Nicola Doubleday

Meet Cyber Prevent and Protect Officer, Nicola Doubleday who works with schools, businesses and local communities raising awareness of cyber crime and cyber security.

We spoke to Nicola about this job and her many roles with Essex Police.

I joined Essex Police to work in vehicle services, moving to the Force Control Room (FCR), Colchester service desk and also as a PCSO for nearly 13 years.
I have also worked in the Crime Bureau as a Fraud Co-ordinator and a Volume Fraud Investigator at Rayleigh!

Over time, my personal cyber skills have developed and so has my cyber security, and applying for this role has turned out to be the best job ever! I get to maintain and improve my skills and it has allowed me to be involved with young people and encourage them to change their behaviour.

As society and technology evolve at a rapid rate of change, people can get left behind a little bit. This often leaves them vulnerable and open to attack.
Cyber criminals value data more than gold. Data is simply that valuable, knowledge is power and the key to open locked doors.
The Essex Prevent and Protect team have dedicated members of staff who are subject matter experts in the fields of cyber as well as Fraud Co-ordinator’s supporting victims.

I am currently working on raising awareness of cyber and cyber security. I recently deployed a cyber awareness tent / pop up escape room through my work as a police cadet leader to raise money for charity. This indirectly involved social engineering and code cracking to get a point across.
I work alongside partner agencies, communities and other forces to share learning and best practice. After all, fraud and cyber crime cannot survive without the other.
Our work also includes cyber domestic abuse, and the fact that it forms part of the controlling coercive behaviour, and cyber can be easily forgotten in domestic situations.

Talking to the public and making them aware that their social media accounts could be disrupted if they do not take simple steps to protect themselves. And reaching out to parents/guardians to give them advice that may help them keep their children safer online and helping older members of the community protect themselves.

At Essex Police, we value difference. We know we’re strongest when we work together. And we want a workforce that represents our communities. 

If you share our values and want to help people, keep people safe and catch criminals, then join us as a police officer, member of staff, special constable or volunteer.

Find out if you #FitTheBill by visiting our careers page.