By Albert Futukpor, GNA
Tamale, June 26, GNA – Thirty-five Police Detectives in the Northern Region have undergone training to upgrade their knowledge and sharpen their skills to help unravel cyber crimes in the country.
The day’s training, organized by the Northern Regional Police Command, was on the theme: “Being a Smart Detective in a Smart World”.
The training was facilitated by seasoned practitioners in the areas of information and communication technology, hacking, artificial intelligence and computing.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Mr George Appiah-Sakyi, Northern Regional Crime Officer, speaking during the training in Tamale, said fighting crime had moved from analogue to digital and Police personnel must move with the times, hence the training.
ACP Appiah-Sakyi emphasized that “We live in a time where crime moves faster than before. Today, much more occurs on digital platforms powered by the internet. Therefore, the threats are no longer just on the street corner. They’re in data, in networks, in places the eye cannot see.”
He added that “Consequently, a smart detective must be smart enough to leverage digital tools in the collection of information in accordance with the law, analyze same and make the results useful in fixing the ills of society including crime.”
He told participants that the training was an investment being made in them urging them to embrace digital technologies “To find the truth, protect victims and bring offenders to justice.”
Dr Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Karim, a Forensic and Cyber Security Analyst, who made a presentation on the topic: “Digital Forensics: Investigating Crime on Digital Systems and Tracing Digital Footprint”, took participants through digital tools and formats for effective investigation.
He advised them to be meticulous in their investigations, preserve the integrity of evidence from the very first moment of contact, document every action, decision and observation throughout the investigation to ensure that they built a strong case to secure conviction in court.
He emphasized that “Don’t be emotional during investigations. Don’t be influenced by public opinions during investigations because they may not always be right.”
Dr Arnold Mashud Abukari, a Senior Lecturer at Tamale Technical University and Information Technology Security Analyst, who made a presentation on the topic: “Foundations of Cybersecurity for Law Enforcement in the Context of Cyber Threat Landscape”, emphasized need for the country to build her own artificial intelligence and digital platforms.
He said this would ensure that data of the country were not in the hands of other nationals but rather stored in the country to help in fighting crimes.
GNA
Edited by Eric K. Amoh/Kenneth Odeng Adade