The government is planning to establish a full-fledged Cyber Security Unit, led by an additional inspector general of police (IGP), to strengthen the Bangladesh Police’s capacity to combat cybercrime.
At present, digital crime investigations and forensic analyses are conducted separately by the Police Headquarters, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Cyber Unit and Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
However, a permanent and coordinated structure is needed as cybercrime continues to grow in both scale and complexity, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said.
He made the remarks while presiding over the 21st meeting of the governing board of the Police Staff College (PSC) in Mirpur, Dhaka, on Tuesday.
“Many police personnel with backgrounds in engineering, IT and computer science are currently serving in the force. We are planning to establish a Cyber Security Unit under an additional IGP by utilising their expertise,” he said.
The minister said digital crime investigations and forensic analyses are currently being conducted on an ad hoc basis through the Police Headquarters, DMP Cyber Unit and CID.
“As the nature and scope of cybercrime continue to expand, a permanent and coordinated structure is necessary,” he added.
Salahuddin also stressed the need for advanced training to improve the skills and morale of police personnel.
“Master trainers, in particular, need to be further developed. Alongside internal training, opportunities for international-standard training should be expanded,” he said.
The government will bring trainers from abroad when necessary and develop modern training facilities in the country to enhance the professional skills of police personnel, he added.
“The goal is to fully prepare the police force to deal with all forms of crime, including cybercrime,” the minister said.
Home Ministry Deputy Chief Information Officer Faisal Hasan said the governing board meeting also discussed a proposal to establish a full-fledged and independent Research and Innovation Centre under the Police Staff College.
The meeting also discussed allocating funds for the overseas component of mandatory training courses, making training a priority criterion for promotion and posting, and expanding international training programmes.
As a member institution of the International Association of Police Academies (INTERPA), Bangladesh also plans to organise training programmes in the country and send trainees abroad.
The meeting discussed launching Master’s in Forensic Science and Master’s in Financial Crime and Governance programmes at the Police Staff College.
Other issues included infrastructure development, government approval of the college’s regulations, reviewing the MRT proposal for land use at the PSC, organising training programmes for SAARC countries and celebrating the college’s silver jubilee.
The board approved the minutes of its 20th meeting with necessary amendments and reviewed progress in implementing decisions taken at that meeting.
Senior officials from the Home Ministry, Ministry of Public Administration, Police Headquarters, BPATC, Dhaka University, Finance Ministry, Law and Justice Division and Cabinet Division attended the meeting.
After the meeting, the home minister inspected the Police Staff College campus.
