Police-led Cyber Choices program steers teen hackers toward legitimate security careers

When Lucas, then 16, was caught hacking his school’s network, his mother called a police officer from the nationwide Cyber Choices programme. PC Sam Cooper arrived, outlined the legal risks of cyber-attacks and started a series of personal meetings aimed at redirecting Lucas’s interest toward accredited qualifications, even arranging a tour of a local university’s cyber-security course. Cyber Choices, also known as Cyber Prevent, operates in parallel with the broader Prevent scheme and has received more than 1,150 referrals to the National Crime Agency in the past eight years, with a surge in the last three.

The NCA warns that teenage hacking groups are increasingly linked to major breaches at organisations such as Transport for London, MGM Grand, Marks & Spencer and the Co-op. A large proportion of the youths involved are neurodiverse, prompting officers like Cooper to provide tailored guidance. While some critics fear the programme may inadvertently boost offenders’ capabilities, officials maintain that without such intervention, vulnerable teens would lack positive direction and could drift deeper into criminal networks.