THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a crucial move in its fight against cyber crimes that have been on the rise in the state, the police department will provide special domain training to all directly recruited sub-inspectors and inspectors. The move is aimed at tackling the menace at the grassroots.
The training of the first two batches, comprising 100 officers from across the state, will begin at the Kerala Police Academy (KEPA) in Thrissur in the first week of August. Two inspectors and five sub-inspectors from each district will be part of the maiden batches. After completing the training, they will double up as master trainers and will guide about 1,300 other officers.
The state has been witnessing a spike in cyber crimes, with 620 cases registered so far this year. The instances of cyber fraud have also been on the rise. In the last two months, around `4crore have collectively been fleeced by online scammers from about 300 people.
Cyber Crimes SP Hari Sankar said officers having aptitude and technical background have been drafted for the training programme. “Extensive training will be given to officers so that they can effectively deal with the cyber threats. The whole exercise will be completed by November,” Hari Sankar said.
The online portal set up by the central government will be used for training. Except for master trainers, other officers will have to complete 20 hours of basic training in 45 days, after which they have to take an examination. Those who clear the exam will undergo another 20 hours of intermediate-level training. The officers who fail will be given additional time to make the cut.
The master trainers from each district will meet the officers in their jurisdiction once every 10 days to provide hands-on guidance and assess their performance. “We have got 700-plus inspectors and more than 600 SIs. Once they are trained, they will be able to handle cyber investigations and that will be a great achievement for the force,” said the SP.
The basic training of the newly recruited SIs will witness a change in the syllabus, with new modules on cyber investigation being included in it. Currently, the officers are getting a basic course module on cyber investigation as part of their training.