Regional “cybercrime” units are to be set up across the country to try to crack down on sophisticated gangs of online criminals who make billions of pounds every year.

Although the strategy has not yet been formally signed off by ministers and senior officers, officials believe that it will be within a week.

Plans include training all “mainstream” police officers in how to deal with complaints of cybercrime, which has so far been hindered by a lack of understanding of the crime by some officers and a lack of co-ordination between forces.

The gangs gain bank account information or credit card numbers by sending out thousands of bogus e-mails, then either sell on the information or use the details themselves to fund other forms of crime.

Businesses are targeted as well as their workers who can be picked out by organised criminals to help to infiltrate the firm’s computer system so that they can extract information.

It is estimated that online fraud costs companies and individuals more than £50 billion a year worldwide.

It is thought that the units will be based near ACPO's counter-terrorism units in Manchester, West Yorkshire and West Midlands, as well as the Met in London.

The strategy is to be driven by Janet Williams, acting assistant commissioner at the Met and the ACPO lead on e-crime.

She said: “The Internet has rapidly become the hub of personal and business activity and is significant in the majority of financial and intellectual transactions.

“Chatham House recently reported that, ‘with capacity to transmit several hundred billion dollars via the Internet infrastructure and other IT systems every day, the cyber world has become a tempting and lucrative target for the modern criminal enterprise’.

“This strategy is designed to assist law enforcement in building a response to this very real challenge. We are starting from a low base and there is much to be done.

“I am however confident that with government support and by developing robust, proactive partnerships with industry, success can be achieved and that success will create its own momentum.

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