‘Thane police will get a cyber crime police station’

The police will soon get a cyber crime police station as promised by state director general of police (DGP) D Sivanandan on the first day of the three-day Cyber Safe Thane programme on Thursday.

The police will soon get a cyber crime police station as promised by state director general of police (DGP) D Sivanandan on the first day of the three-day Cyber Safe Thane programme on Thursday. In its third year, the programme is aimed at creating awareness among the public about cyber crimes and safety.

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“I will see to it that the cyber crime cell and the cyber lab are converted into a police station as quickly as possible. I will take it up with the state and within a month or so we will be able to inaugurate the police station. All you need to do is be ready with the necessary equipments...Thane police have the place and skilled manpower so a police station can be set up here,” Sivanandan said.

He also said the police could borrow engineers from NASSCOM, with whose help the cyber cell was set up in 2005, and recruit them in the department. Regarding the lack of legal expertise, Sivanandhan said a legal officer needs to be identified and then appointed within the available resources. He also lauded the police’s effort to provide computers and laptops at low interest rates to officers.

“This will help the officers and their families to learn the basics. The officers can even practice on the 35 state-of-the-art computers at the Thane Police School during vacation or holidays or after school. Every policeman can then become a cyber crime investigator,” Sivanandhan said.

He added: “We should focus on improving technology rather than increasing police strength. We should insist on quality policing and not quantity. We are bringing in cyber and scientific investigation as part of our training, which will include forensic science, cyber technology and so on. A group of people at the National Police Academy are studying the requirements and we will then be changing the way we train our men.”

Sivanandan stressed on creating a safety system as cyber space or cyber crime has no jurisdiction. “Economic crime is a bloodless crime. No blood will be shed but it will affect banks, economy and the corporate. Cyber crime will overtake everything else,” he said.