Three new regional 'hubs' have been created to help fight cyber crime in the Humber, Northwest and East Midlands areas, it was announced on Wednesday.
Cyber crime, or e-crime, includes offences ranging from online fraud, hacking and computer intrusion to distributing "malicious code".
The National Security Risk Assessment completed in 2010 identified cyber crime as a 'tier one' threat, placing it alongside international terrorism, major national disasters and an international military crisis in terms of severity.
The remit of current e-crime units is focused on the most serious offences, and does not extend to child exploitation, routine reporting of cyber crime and projects relating to the National Fraud Reporting Centre.
The new regional hubs, officially announced at the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) e-crime conference in Sheffield, will work alongside the 85-strong Metropolitan Police Centre e-crime Unit (PCEU).
The hubs will have a "symbiotic relationship" with the PCEU, the Home Office said. Each of the three will initially comprise of three staff members - a detective sergeant and two detective constables - and will work on their own investigations as well as supporting the PCEU.
They will be funded by the extra £30m which was granted by the government last year for ACPO's National e-Crime Programme.
In total £650m has been allocated to fight e-crime.
The PCEU will be rolled into the National Crime Agency when it is launched after the 2012 Olympics.
The National Crime Agency will take over from the Serious Organised Crime Agency as part of the government's Policing 21st Century reforms.
In October the Met said that the PCEU had saved the UK economy more than £140m in six months. The unit has a target of £504m of savings over four years.
In one case study released by the Met, five people were jailed for a total of more than 15 years for setting up an online 'criminal forum' intended to share tips on committing credit card fraud, creating networks of infected computers and how to evade law enforcement.
Regarding the new regional hubs, ACPO lead on e-crime Deputy Assistant Commissioner Janet Williams said:
"The Government has acknowledged a need to collaborate and provide a structured response to the cyber security of the UK and these three additional policing units are going to play a critical role in our ability to combat the threat.
"While a training period is required before the hubs are fully functional they will undoubtedly provide an enhanced ability to investigate this fast growing area of crime and provide an improved internet investigation capability."
Ministers said that the new regional hubs would mark a "significant step" in developing a national e-crime strategy.
James Brokenshire, minister for crime and security, said:
"Cyber crime is a threat locally and nationally, and every police force in the country has to deal with its impact on people and businesses in their area.
"As well as leading the fight in their regions, these units mark a significant step forward in developing a national response to cyber crime, which will be driven by the new National Crime Agency.
East Midlands Deputy Chief Constable Peter Goodman, who will coordinate one of the new regional centres, said:
"There is no doubt that the proliferation of the internet has brought significant benefits to all across society, but unfortunately that also includes those who have criminal intent.
"We know that increasingly criminal networks are seeking to exploit cyber space for profit and we have a duty as police leaders to respond to protect individuals and communities."