KUALA LUMPUR: A member of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said the recent announcement by the police to establish a specialised department to focus on cybertechnology and digital crime was both timely and necessary.
Derek John Fernandez said this development represented a critical infrastructure needed to effectively combat the growing complexity of cybercrime.
He hoped that adequate resources would be allocated to the police to effectively develop this infrastructure.
"MCMC has and will always continue to help and support all law enforcement agencies within its powers under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, including helping and assisting the police where requested.
"Presently, there are many arrangements and protocols for interagency cooperation and these continue to be enhanced to meet the needs of law enforcement," he told the New Straits Times.
He anticipated increased collaboration among agencies as cybercrime evolved and became more prevalent as MCMC was well-positioned to support law enforcement efforts in tackling digital crimes.
This includes making available its technical and human resources to provide threat intelligence, tracking and identification data, as well as providing regulatory policies, aimed at reducing the risk of crimes through network regulation and consumer safety enhancement.
He said MCMC also assisted in hardware and cybersecurity training for police and other agencies.
"The recent launch of the Cybersecurity Center of Excellence at MCMC's facility saw police as one of the first persons to complete advanced cybersecurity training conducted by the world-class cybersecurity training.
"MCMC will continue to invest its resources for training of law enforcement agencies in this area through its Cybersecurity Center of Excellence," he said.
He said any crime committed using a network facility or service was an area where MCMC would collaborate with any law enforcement agency within the legal mandate of MCMC to regulate online harm and information security as provided for under the law.
On March 25, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said the police were mulling to establish a new department on cyber technology specifically focusing on digital crime and increasingly complex technologies. (LINK - https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2024/03/1030140/police-mull-setting-c... )
Razarudin said the task and responsibility of the police were becoming increasingly challenging and complex.
Razarudin hopes the government will consider its proposal to provide the best service for the public.