IGP stresses need to bolster cybercrime policing

Bangla Press Desk:  Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir today (Sunday) stressed the need to enhance the skills and capabilities of police personnel to effectively combat cybercrime.

“There is no alternative to increasing the skills and capabilities of police members to tackle cybercrime,” he said, BSS reports. 

He made the remarks while inaugurating a Training of Trainers (ToT) course on investigation of cybercrime cases at Police Staff College Bangladesh in Mirpur. 

Police Staff College Bangladesh Rector Additional IGP Kazi Md. Fazlul Karim presided over the programme, while CID Chief Additional IGP Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain attended it as a special guest.

DIG (Training) Md Ekramul Habib delivered the welcome address.

Additional DIG (Training-2) Dr. Mosammat Shehela Parvin presented a roadmap and implementation strategy for cybercrime investigation training at the event.

The IGP said emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, deepfakes, encrypted communication systems and cloud computing, have opened new opportunities while creating fresh challenges for law enforcement agencies.

Criminals are exploiting technology to commit cyber-based fraud, online financial crimes, data theft, hacking, online harassment and digital extortion, he said.

“Changing the pattern of policing has become a demand of the time to tackle growing cybercrime. Developing investigative capacity in cybercrime is essential for modern policing,” Fakir said.

Addressing the trainee police officers, the IGP said the course would equip them not only with technical expertise but also with training and communication skills.

“The knowledge and skills gained through this training must be shared with other investigators. If you effectively train other investigators, the number of cybercrime case investigators in the police will increase manifold,” he said.

He thanked the Police Headquarters Training Wing and Police Staff College Bangladesh for organising the timely training, and stressed the need to arrange such programmes regularly and keep training materials and modules updated.

In his presidential remarks, Kazi Md. Fazlul Karim said Police Staff College Bangladesh, the apex training institution of Bangladesh Police, has been playing an important role in enhancing the skills and capabilities of police officers through various training programmes.

He expressed hope that the training would contribute to improving the professional skills and expertise of police officers in combating cybercrime.

The 10-day training course has been organised by Police Staff College Bangladesh under the initiative of the Training Branch of Police Headquarters.

A total of 332 police officers participating in the ToT course will, in phases, train investigators at the field level on cybercrime case investigation.