Hadrian Project
Introduction
On Thursday 29th November and Friday 30th November 2007 30 leading strategic thinkers from across the United Kingdom, the region and Europe gathered at Close House, Heddon on the Wall, Northumberland as part of a think tank. Sponsored by the Regional Development Agency One North East, Newcastle University and N.E.F.F., the event took place against a serious backcloth of major developments involving the North East, but which have a much wider impact and consequences for trust and security well beyond the region. These developments include Northern Rock, loss of private data at the Washington Child Benefit Office and allegations of irregular political funding.
Academics, representatives of local and national government, representatives of the local business community and police officers met over two days. The original agenda was informed and energized both by the innovative nature of the multi-sectoral talks and by the impact of external events. This became an agenda for change and challenge which aims to provide sustainable answers to areas of deep systemic concern for citizens, business, police and the judiciary. All recognize a climate of increasing uncertainty and instability where better mastery and transparency of the Internet Age are urgently required to give confidence to public life and personal privacy.
The day's proceedings in detail
Background
The North East Fraud Forum was founded in March 2003 at an event held at St James Park, Newcastle upon Tyne. Four hundred delegates attended the event from the public and private sectors in a unique initiative to combine forces to fight fraud and financial crime. The initiative soon earned the support of regional, national and international government including, The Attorney General's office, The United States Treasury Department and the United Nations Trade and International Law Commission and United Nations Drugs and Organised Crime agency. The initiative has since spread across the United Kingdom to 8 other British regions and continues to grow.
In August 2007 officials from NEFF met with senior academics within the North East of England to determine what work was being carried out in relation to 'Future Crimes' and what threat they posed the region. This meeting soon launched a wider debate about how best the region could work as one to protect itself today and in the future against such issues as cyber crime. The essence of a working group under the title, NECTAR North East Cyber Crime Technology & Research was brought together.