Need to stay ahead of cyber criminals
17th October 2006 (The Star)
By EDWARD RAJENDRA

SHAH ALAM: Criminals are using information technology to commit crime and police have to stay ahead to deal with this new breed of lawbreakers.

Newly-appointed Selangor police chief DCP Datuk Ismail Omar said criminals were now using the Internet to cheat people, while seated in the comfort of their homes. Then there were others who used cellphones and cloned smart cards in their criminal activities.

"Our men are challenged to keep up with the times in this borderless world. With the nature of crime evolving, we have to move 10 steps ahead to nab such criminals," he said.

DCP Ismail, 53, said that owing to the high level of crime in Selangor - especially vehicle thefts, wayside robberies and house break-ins - he planned to get his men to use different techniques to reduce crime.

"Selangor is a developed state with a big population, so we need to cover the area intelligently using the same number of men. It is here that we will need to employ an integrated approach, where the Civil Defence, Customs Department and even residents associations must be activated to the fullest," he said.

Earlier, DCP Ismail received the Baton of Duty from acting police chief SAC (II) Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah in a simple ceremony at the Selangor Police Contingent here.

At the same ceremony, new Selangor deputy police chief SAC (I) Mohd Noh Kandah took over from SAC (I) Ibrahim Manas, who officially retires on Oct 27.

DCP Ismail said the expectations of the public were high and he wanted his men to respond to crime reports promptly.