Cyber-crime latest challenge for local cops
Police Commissioner David Baines at the Marshall Centre for Security Studies
(CNS): Email and internet scams, hacking and identity theft, as well as serious online financial fraud are just some of the challenges the local police now have to face, in addition to the more traditional home-grown criminality of burglars, robbers and gunmen. With cyber-crime becoming increasingly common and more sophisticated the world over, the police commissioner said that the RCIPS must now start to face this challenge head on.
David Baines said cyber-crime was still a skills gap for the RCIPS but that Interpol was undertaking a review of the service to identify the needs in this emerging criminal threat.
“I have got Interpol doing a review for us to see what we do know and, more importantly, what don’t we know and what the threat is going to be so we can start to identify and recruit and bring that skill set in, as it is going to become a growing problem,” the commissioner told CNS this week.
The issue of online crime and related security is a problem for the wider government as well, as highlighted in a recent report from the Office of the Auditor General. Before he left the former auditor general, Alastair Swarbrick, warned that government was not doing enough to protect its systems and information from the risks and threats of cyber-attack.
“Progress has been too slow in addressing the concerns raised some three years ago and the opportunity for significant damage to government operations and its reputation should mean that significantly more action is needed,” Swarbrick said.
Speaking at a press briefing last month, Swarbrick said that government online systems have already faced serious breaches.
But as government moves to introduce more electronic and online services, especially payment services, it will need to focus on improving security. As more opportunity for online crime opens up, not just in government but the private sector, within and outside Cayman’s borders, the RCIPS will be increasingly called upon to deal with evermore diverse criminality and offences.
Hedge fund managers were identified earlier this year by the American government as being particularly vulnerable to online crime and the industry is only just waking up to the problem, which could prove particularly challenging for Cayman and the local police.
It does not matter who is charge, the high level of local criminality and lawlessness will exist. What is needed is a rapid increase in the availability of gated communities to protect us from them.
OK Cool.
Do you have any words of wisdom on the topic at hand – Cybersecurity?
Your suggestion is to build gated communities against the threat of cyber security breaches? Ok then, might I suggest you put your head back into the sand.
Watching a statement being typed is a painful cyber crime right there!
One would think that the usual ‘bread and butter’ brine going on here would far outrank anything that a cyber criminal is going pull on Cayman.
“I have got Interpol doing a review for us to see what we do know and, more importantly, what don’t we know and what the threat is going to be so we can start to identify and recruit and bring that skill set in, as it is going to become a growing problem,” the commissioner told CNS this week.”
Really? I understand it was the local fellas at the Telecommunication Authority who engaged Interpol. Maybe CNS should find out who is really doing what. You know, in the interest of robust reporting of course.
Be interesting to do FOI request on who paid for the Interpol Team from the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore (http://www.interpol.int/About-INTERPOL/The-INTERPOL-Global-Complex-for-Innovation) to visit Cayman
All this Jargon and drivel from the commissioner of police is only to hire even more friends and cronies from the UK that’s all and he using every angle and threat he has to make that a reality. This has been a threat for a very very long time and only now he is recognizing this ?? I guess he will also need to hire some more computer illiterate functionaries too from elsewhere mann this guy is good. Cayman has the distinction of being one of the first and only jurisdictions in the world to ever successfully investigate and criminally prosecute a Nigerian 419 internet scam in the world and it was long before he arrive here. We have and had the people and The “Skill set ” to do this until they arrive here with their plan to reinvent the wheel all over again so they could carry out their very own agenda for Cayman. One more thing listen carefully to the use of his words identify, recruit, skillset not a word about Training our own people to do this??? That is all he thinks about how many more foreign police he can pile up on this little rock. The highest per capita in this region!
You are absolutely right about this excuse of a Commissioner. First of all, I would like to know who hired him and then I would like to know if they think he is doing a good job?
Finally, I would like to see those involved in this Baines debacle sent back on a bloody big Hercules plane to a maximum security prison for their crimes against common decency and human rights.
This man has presided over the worst record of policing these fair islands HAVE EVER KNOWN!!!!!!! And while I am ranting, please take the useless Governess with you before she destroys with what is left of Cayman with her inactivity and cocktail parties. Shocking, shocking, bloody shame.
Typical Belongeritis. I am proud of the service of the Commissioner and the Governor.
Its is said when you see a rat leaving a ship as you are getting on it is a bad omen your choice of word “Belongeritis” speaks volumes of which exactly which ship you came off!
How about dealing with the easy crimes like who stole the cocaine out of the secure evidence lock up at RCIPS HQ?
How about an Petition to have him removed from office and flown home.?
People tried before. Perhaps we should try again? Many of us have kids and grandkids here and the truth is that they are just not safe. Baines has no skin in the game.
Cocaine does not have a great shelf life.
Or prosecuting the numerous employers who have stolen workers pension monies with absolut impunity and which the police refuse to even investigate despite clear irrefutable evidence of deductions and non payment.
Good that it’s recognised and the move to learn more has started. Bad that the 5th largest finance centre in the world would not appear to have anyone capable of bringing a case to court unless it’s card fraud.
It’s the 1990’s calling. They want their rankings of the world’s financial centres back.
Cayman could quite easily hide behind a single IP Address. We could have a dynamic firewall and monitor all incoming traffic. Protect those within from those without, but no, this is too easy. Watch the silly police press to get into everyones’ computers. This is digital terrorism. The terrorists are out there, snoop on the innocents. Asses!
With the politicians we have in charge? Seriously?
Maybe some caffeine free soda?