Some specialists feel that the police have not attained full capacity in monitoring and containing cyber crime in the country.
But police is carrying on the work with their own intelligence agencies and limited resources. In the districts and ranges of the country, a ‘Cyber crime unit’ is working under the guidance of an official.
Additional deputy commissioner of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC), Nazmul Islam, said: “We can manage currently with the manpower of DMP’s cyber- crime unit but once the crimes increase, manpower will have to be added.”
“Since internet is easily available, cyber crimes are rising outside Dhaka; so, we feel that cyber policing is essential,” he added.
“Already, police members of different districts have been trained in Dhaka.”
In addition to training police members, cyber infrastructure has to be developed at the district level; a cyber police bureau under the police headquarter is also needed where SP’s of different districts will work under an AIGP.
Rangpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Biplob Kumar Sarkar said: “We need skilled people but are carrying on with what we have. Once someone posts anything inflammatory, we try to bring that person under law.”
Pachagarh SP Mohammad Yusuf Ali, observed: “There’s a cyber unit in every district and we constantly monitor social media to prevent any militant activity.”
DIG of Sylhet range, Kamrul Ahsan, added: “We do not have adequate capacity but our people have been given some training.”
Cyber specialist Tanvir Hassan Zoha says: “Bangladesh does not have the technological support required to investigate cyber crimes; to address such crimes, a separate unit and digital lab will be needed. The police members do not know the right procedure to gather information through digital methods.”
Statistics of the Police Crime Data Management System (CDMS) shows that in 2013, 35 cases were lodged under cyber crime law and in the last six years, a total of 3,659 cases were filed across the nation with the highest cases lodged in 2018 with 1055.
In 2018 and 2018, 255 cases were lodged of which 18 saw children below 18 as plaintiffs. In the two years, 274 persons were arrested for cyber crimes.