The police say they are making good progress in tackling cybercrime in Dumbarton and the Vale.

A police report at a recent Community Planning meeting revealed that a total of 48 cybercrimes were recorded in West Dunbartonshire during the last year and 19 of these crimes were detected.

Most of these offences were due to a person sending an abusive or threatening message or posting indecent images on social media.

Fraudulent bank withdrawals are also a problem in the area, according to West Dunbartonshire’s top cop Chief Inspector Scott Carlin, and the police are working with banks to try to combat this.

Cops are also gathering information about suspects on social media to monitor their activity.

Read more: Police arrest 16 people in cyber crime inquiry

The report said: “The majority of these crimes involved abusive or threatening message or indecent images being sent or posted on social media.”

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, area commander Scott Carlin, said: “Everyone is susceptible to this, it’s about getting the message out about the risks around it and let’s be honest there’s a lot of money to be made.

“We are doing a social media profile and that’s having a positive impact on that as people are coming under the radar.

“Other successes include working in partnership with banks and they are flagging up any suspicious activity, such as withdrawals from accounts.

“A lot of work is still to be done but I think we are making good progress considering the problems we face.”