Police seeks international co-operation to fight cyber crime

The Police have said international cyber crime experts must collaborate to develop new skills and technologies to make the cyberspace safer.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris, who spoke yesterday in Abuja at the Interpol Cybercrime Training for Practitioner Investigators from African Countries, stressed the need to boost the capacities of investigators in related fields.

Idris said having set up and deployed a hi-tech and cybercrime unit within the Interpol National Central Bureau in Nigeria, efforts were being pursued to equip the unit with tools and techniques to boost its capacities in various fields.

The IGP, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (FCIID), Hyacinth Dagala, said the leadership of the force had made provision for capacity initiatives, with the vision of getting experienced members of the unit deployed in state police commands where cybercrime offences are prevalent.

The three-day training session organised by the Singapore-owned Interpol Global Complex for Innovation and hosted by the Interpol National Central Bureau attracted trainees from other African countries.

According to the Head of Interpol National Central Bureau Commissioner of Police (CP) Olusola Subair, combating cybercrime is at various stages of development in Nigeria.

“We must in turn develop new ways and methods to adapt to current challenges while emerging trends in crime now deploy new skills and technologies,” Subair said.

The Singaporean acting Head of Training Unit, Digital Investigation Support, Cybercrime Directorate Interpol, Wei Xian Tee said Internet fraud is a global challenge that can only be tackled holistically.

According to Xian Tee, it is not a crime that is committed in the African region alone, therefore it requires close collaboration among nations of the world to be able to curtail the rising wave as well as put a stop to it.

Xian Tee said part of the training to be given to the African participants would include open source investigation, e-mail investigation, deep well investigation and online profiling.