Punjab police set up 46 cyber support units

Officials say these units have increased the efficiency of the provincial police.

LAHORE:

The Punjab police have set up 46 cyber support units (CSUs) at regional and district level and CCPO Office in Lahore for real-time detection of terrorism, kidnappings for ransom and other heinous cases involving use of mobile phones and other electronic devices.

The Express Tribune has learnt that all investigation wing Superintendents of Police in 36 districts of Punjab have been nominated as focal persons for colleting call data record, IMIE and other relevant data from intelligence agencies.

These units are composed of trained officers at the district level who have already handled projects like Pakistan Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) and Police Station Record Management Information System (PRMIS).

Personnel of the Cyber Support Units will get further training at the Police Training School (PTS) Chung, Forensic Science Agency, Punjab.

Previously, Punjab police was dependent on FIA’s National Response Centre for Cyber Crimes.

“This system has proved to be helpful in quickly tracing cases, especially high-profile ones,” a senior police officer told The Express Tribune.

The main unit has been established in the Central Police Office which will also monitor the performance of these CSUs through focal person SP (investigation) Fiaz Ahmad Sumbal under the supervision of Inspector General and Additional Inspector-General of Police (Investigation Branch), Punjab, Azam Joiya, the architect of these units.

AIG (Investigation Branch) Azam Joiya said that CSUs had increased the efficiency of Punjab police “a hundred-fold”, particularly in cases involving the use of electronic devices.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 7^th, 2011.