Govt to Open Special Police Station for Cybercrimes

Police are setting up an experimental new station under the Criminal Investigation Department ( CID) to deal with cybercrime incidents, headed by an Additional Deputy Inspector General.

The police are going for an initial start, as the final approval may take time, even as detailed guidance is underway, said Shah Alam, DIG at CID 's Cyber Police Centre.

The draft will need final approval by the National Implementation Committee for Administrative Reforms (NICAR) following acceptance by the Police Headquarters and the Home Ministry, reports the media.

The police will open a temporary station at CID Headquarters while the hunt begins for a permanent position in Dhaka.

Currently, the CID’s Cybercrime Centre provides the people with advice through its hotline 01730336431, while the victims file complaints with police stations or cases at court. They will be able to file the complaints or cases at the special police station when it opens. 

Victims of cybercrime will be able to file complaints online at the Special Police Station, IGP Mahbubur Rahman, chief of the CID, said at a July 6 press conference.

The online system will be implemented slowly, with two police superintendents assisting other DIG teams for surveillance and inquiry, Alam said.

The Special Police Station will have more than 300 team members, including four additional SPs, eight assistant SPs, 30 inspectors and at least 60 sub-inspectors.

This is the first time that an cop of a higher rank than an inspector is going to lead a police station.

Alam said more than 1,500 police officers with CID experience in anti-cyber-crime work in various stations.

Moudut Halder, officer-in-charge of Chawkbazar Police Station, said they receive at least one complaint of cybercrimes, such as Facebook account hack or circulation of indecent photos on social media. They forward the cases to the cybercrime unit.

Two men, who have recently filed cybercrime lawsuits, said it will be better for victims to get assistance if the inquiry were carried out from the location where the cases are filed.

The idea of a cybercrime police station is fresh, but several countries have opened these stations. In West Bengal , India, an inspector heads the cyber police station that was set up last year.

Kazi Mustafiz, president of Cybercrime Awareness Foundation, welcomed the move.

Bangladesh has a total of 660 police stations, including those of River Police and Railway Police.