Fighting cybercrime in Jamaica: a consolidated IT strategy

CAN SOMEONE tell me why we still have outdated computers at the police stations? It is really not going to help the cause of our nation to obtain the oldest possible computers we can find and make them monuments within our police stations.

The idea is not to go out there and spend the “money the Government doesn’t have” and purchase the latest computers, but to at least have systems in place for the proper maintenance and upgrade of these systems throughout the length and breadth of Jamaica, land we love.

This will undoubtedly create opportunities for law enforcement to tackle some of the toughest crimes encountered today.

The basic requirement for crime-fighting has changed, and therefore, Jamaica’s police force must also change in order to create a technology-enabled police force that can meet the challenges of the times in which we now live.

Gone are the days when we could rely on only human intelligence to bring perpetrators to justice.

We have seen a shift in the trends around the world. The information age brings with it a whole new way of carrying out criminal activities with the click of a button. There are numerous cybercrimes of identity theft, fraud, scams, and phishing, and the list goes on.

For the Government to effectively target and reduce cybercrime in Jamaica, there needs to be a drastic shift in the police operation, incorporating information technology (IT) and innovative technologies as a strategic goal to combat crime.

As part of this move, the Government needs to invest in more IT resources for the police force. This also includes the recruitment of computer-savvy individuals, improved information systems, innovative tools and IT policy development. KERON TOOMA kntooma@yahoo.com