Need for transnational body to fight cyber crime
Date of Publishing:02/11/2010
Location:Kochi
The key to fighting cyber crime is to create a transnational force that is equipped to deal with the issue beyond geographical boundaries, Abdul Rahman Danbazau, former lieutenant-general with the Nigerian Military Police and a criminologist, has said.
He was in the city to attend the Global Community Policing Conclave 2010, being organised by the State police, in association with the International Police Executive Symposium (IPES), from Wednesday. Mr. Danbazau is one of the directors of IPES.
Mr. Danbazau told The Hindu that the key element was to "translate community to beyond geographical boundaries. Then, it means law enforcement strategy should also go beyond local policing."
One of the major hurdles that the Nigerian police faced in fighting cyber crime was the level of literacy among police personnel. Recently, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had taken up extensive drives to bring cyber criminals, known as 'yahoo boys,' to justice, Mr. Danbazau said.
EFCC officials closely monitored cyber cafes from where most of the crimes were committed and were able to arrest many. "But the criminals need not necessarily be residents of Nigeria, as it goes beyond geographical boundaries."
On the home front, community policing initiatives had succeeded in instilling a sense of confidence among the people in the police, he said. "There are also attempts to integrate traditional institutions, like local chiefs, into the community policing drive."
Mr. Danbazau said efforts were on to integrate the community into the functioning of the police. "While crimes like armed robbery continue to be a problem, the major challenge faced by the police is non-conventional crime."
Increased interactions with counterparts in other countries would help the Nigerian police officials to fight new generation crime, he said.
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