Police Force to increase efforts to tackle cyber crimes, with special focus on financial scams and impersonations | #cybercrime | #infosec

The Guyana Police Force is paying more attention to cyber security with special focus on online financial scams, impersonation, cyber bullying and the misuse of personal images, Commissioner of Police Clifton Hicken has revealed.Speaking at the opening of a Cyber Security Symposium this morning, Mr. Hicken said law enforcement has to step up its efforts to address cases of cybercrime, noting that criminals are committing offences online without being present in the county.“This changing environment requires us to review traditional approaches to policing and to ensure that our officers posses the knowledge, technical skills and resources necessary to investigate crime committed through digital platforms. Cybercrime is not simply a technical issue, it is a law enforcement concern and economic and importantly a matter of public safety,” Mr. Hicken says.He said citizens are also being threatened and exploited by persons online.The Commissioner said as the country continues to advance technologically, a greater responsibility now rests on the shoulders of the Guyana Police Force.He said not only citizens must be equipped to recognize potential threats, but law enforcement must be able to appropriately respond.“Criminals continue to exploit technology through the online financial scam, cyberbullying, theft, unauthorized access to computer system and the misuse of personal images. Of particular concern though, it is the exportation of children and young people through online platforms which requires vigilance from law enforcement, educators and the wider society,” the police Commissioner said.Minister of Home Affairs Oniegde Walrond, said the country’s systems must be resilient to deal with cyber attacks. She said while attacks will be attempted and some may succeed, there has to be greater vigilance by persons on the online space.“Our responsibility therefore is to build systems strong enough to resist attacks, institutions prepared enough to respond and recovery mechanisms capable of restoring essential services quickly. A resilient country does not assume that nothing will go wrong, a resilient country prepares for when something does,” Minister Walrond said.The Minister said the harm inflicted through technology can be deeply personal, therefore it is incumbent on the country’s security forces to ensure that the online space does not become a playground for criminals.“We therefore want a country where citizens can access government services, make electronic payment, conduct businesses online and provide personal information with confidence. We want businesses, from our smallest entrepreneur to our largest financial institution to participate confidently in the digital economy and we want our critical infrastructure, our energy systems, telecommunications network, financial institutions, health services, government databases and national security systems all capable of continuing to function even when they come under attack, that is resilience,” Ms. Walrond noted.The Home Affairs Minister said children are also not spared from online attacks and therefore, there must be greater regulations governing the use of online platforms by children.(function(d, s, id) {
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