Punjab Police: Cyber-tech units to modernise inquiry

New investigation support wing proposes to monitor criminal communications.


Asad Kharal January 20, 2011

LAHORE: The Punjab Police has decided to establish Cybercrime Technology Units (CTUs) to help in investigation of crimes committed with the help of communication devices like mobile phones and computers.

The units will be set up at the district and regional level as well as at the Central Police Office at an estimated cost of Rs50 million, mostly for equipment. The aim is to set up 35 district CTUs and nine centres at the regional level in three months.

Punjab Additional Inspector General (Investigation) Azam Joiya told The Express Tribune that the CTUs would be particularly useful in investigating cases of terrorism, abduction for ransom and other crimes in which electronic devices like mobile phones, computers, scanners or printer were used.

He said that as devices like mobile phones and computers were becoming more and more common, their use in crimes was also increasing.

Joiya was part of a three-member committee   along with Additional IG (Finance) Aftab Sultan and Additional IG (Research and Development) Malik Khuda Bakhsh – tasked by Punjab IG Javed Iqbal with arranging the CTU set-up.

A draft drawn up by the committee notes that the evidentiary value and admissibility of evidence collected by CTUs was already established by current laws.

For example, records can be made available to the law enforcement agencies under the Electronic Crimes Ordinance 2002 or the lapsed Prevention of Electronic Crime Ordinance 2007. The draft suggests that the regional-level CTUs be set up first at a cost of Rs1.3 million each. They would be staffed initially with a hardware expert and a software expert, who would need computers, a place to sit and work, and an internet connection.

The units would later be introduced at the district level, under provincial control, at a cost of Rs1 million each.

The draft suggests that the CTUs could be divided into two sections   operations and forensic investigations. Apart from spying or intelligence collection, they could be involved in information collection and analysis.

According to the draft plan, the project would require 357 police staffers from the rank of constable to superintendent of police (Crime Reporting Office). Some Rs1.38 million would be required for training and Rs0.15 million for software to connect with NADRA, the Passport and Immigration office and the Excise and Taxation Department.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20th,  2011.

COMMENTS (4)

Muhammad Usman Siddique | 13 years ago | Reply Nice efforts, Really appreciated. I need on global, My Pakistan at the top
Ch Muhammad Sarfraz | 13 years ago | Reply Great idea by the Additional Inspector General (Investigation) Azam Joiya
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