Cybercrime: Ghana police to set up two cyber crime units

In line with their objective of dealing effectively with cyber crime, the Ghana Police is set to erect two cyber crime units to add to the existing one at their headquarters in Accra.

The new cybercrime units which will be situated in Takoradi and Kumasi will serve the Northern and Southern sectors respectively.

This was made known by the Deputy Director of the Cyber Crime Unit of the Ghana Police CID Department, DSP Emmanuel Eric Gyebi, at a forum organized by the Ghana Insurers Association at the Mensvic Hotel in Accra.

The seminar which was themed “Emerging Trends, Domain and Impact of Cyber Security Threats on the Insurance Industry” was held to enlighten players in the insurance industry on the threat of cybercrimes and how institutions and people can deal with the growing menace.

DSP Gyebi called for an all hands on deck approach in dealing with the canker and promised of the Police’s determination to counter activities of cybercriminal.

He however stated that the police will fail in their bid if the public and institutions do not volunteer information on activities of cybercriminals to the service.

“I don’t want to mention the name of particular place in the central region but everybody knows that in that town every young man there is into sakawa but unfortunately we don’t have a cybercrime unit there so if the local police gets one of these guys arrested. Because they are not trained, they do not have the tools and capacity to examine their phones and laptops so that they can get evidence and prosecute them. The police need the help of everyone to deal with this.

A Cyber analyst with e-crime Bureau Philemon Hini urged executives of corporate institutions to appreciate the need for cyber solutions.

“Within our institutions the management level must appreciate the need for cyber security solutions. Because from what we are seeing now cyber security has been left entirely in hands of the IT department without much interest from management. Because management does not fully appreciate cyber security issues it becomes difficult to get the funding needed to put the right systems in place.”