London Mayor Axes Cyber Crime Victim Support Line

London's mayor has axed a cyber crime helpline for the victims of online abuse, triggering a backlash from campaigners who argue that women and girls will be left struggling to access vital support. From a report: The service, which was shut down on Tuesday, assisted victims of fraud, revenge porn and cyberstalking to protect their digital identity. During its 18-months of operation it led to 2,060 cases being opened. The helpline was launched in 2023 as a one-year pilot scheme with $220,000 in funding from the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (Mopac), and was later extended by six months.

Conservative London Assembly member Emma Best said an informal evaluation showed the helpline 'was working' and was going to be extended for another year. However, Sadiq Khan said that the scheme would be closed. 'It was a pilot and pilots are what they say on the tinâ... we will receive an end of project report, we have collected the data and the results of that report will inform our future work,' he said, speaking at Mayor's Question Time.

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