Offenses can transcend national boundaries and very often do. For this reason, the RCMP maintains contact with computer crime investigators around the world including investigators in the United States and Great Britain. Statistics on computer crime and telecommunications crime are difficult to accumulate primarily due to reluctance on the part of victims to report such crime and the many different jurisdictions in Canada. However, with growing economic losses to victims, more crimes are being reported to police. Recent losses in relation to telecommunications crimes have been very large.
Some computer criminals operate on an international scale and in an organized fashion.
These criminals can route their activities through countries where jurisdictional processes and legal problems can make investigation difficult. Each one of these units has at least one investigator who has received specialized training in the investigation of computer crimes. CISU can provide technical guidance and expertise to all Canadian police departments and federal government agencies in relation to computer and telecommunication crime investigation.