Law enforcers plan Canadian cyber-crime centre

The Canadian Association of Police Boards’ initiative to establish a global centre for cyber crime in Canada got a boost this week with a $100,000 pledge from Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

The CyberPol Global Centre for Securing Cyberspace is envisioned to become a centralized collaboration centre for Canadian and international law enforcement agencies in a bid to combat all forms of cyber crime, according to Ian Wilms, president of the Canadian Association of Police Boards (CAPB).

“There are only 245 technology police officers in Canada and in almost every single crime now there is a computer involved,” said Wilms. “Whether it’s a BlackBerry, cell phone or computer, they are going into evidence rooms and it’s taking six months to a year to actually get to do forensics on it, which is completely unacceptable in this day and age.”

The federal government’s contribution will help fund a national study the CAPB will conduct on the impact of cyber crime on all sectors of Canadian society, Wilms said.

The study will involve both businesses and consumers to get a sense of the extent of computer-related crimes in Canada, including child exploitation, financial fraud, identity theft and intellectual property offences, he added.

The cyber crime impact study will be conducted over the next four months, after which the CAPB will release a national report “so Canadians can become aware,” Wilms added.

At the same time, the CAPB will commence work on a feasibility study that will bring together various law enforcement agencies, including the RCMP and municipal police forces, technology experts, as well as security partners from the U.S. and other countries to determine what the best model for the CyberPol Centre would be, he said.

Much of the details of how, when and where the CyberPol Centre will be established have yet to be determined, but Wilms is certain that the initiative will create a central clearing house for developing policies and assisting countries, not only in enforcing the law, but in prosecuting crimes in the borderless world of the Internet.

“Law enforcement is kind of stuck in a bit of a jurisdictional rut, I guess,” said Wilms. “With computer crimes crossing so many borders, it’s extremely hard to prosecute, especially with everybody’s computer laws not being in the same standard.”

While the proposed CyberPol Centre may be a “perfectly legitimate exercise,” the difficulty for the proponents of this project will be on trying to get stakeholder support, according to Mary Kirwan, CEO of Toronto-based security consultancy Headfry Inc.

“I think the police will face the challenge of trying to convince the rest of the market that (CyberPol) adds value over and above what is already there,” Kirwan said.

Kirwan cited the existence of the U.S.-based Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (ISAC), for instance, which has an IT arm that serves as a central monitoring and collaboration on matters relating to Internet threats.

“There’s been a lot of these initiatives in other countries where what you end up with is a duplication rather than adding new value,” Kirwan said. While agreeing that there are a number of cyber crime-related initiatives already existing elsewhere, Wilms said most of them are individual initiatives that may be accomplishing only a fraction of what can be accomplished with an integrated, collaborative approach.

“I’ve seen first hand in the different law enforcement agencies that this is not a priority and we’re falling behind dramatically,” he said.

In addition to collaboration for law enforcement and prosecution, the CyberPol Centre can also provide special constable training for technology professionals, for instance, so they can apply their computer expertise to law enforcement, said Wilms, who is also a business development executive with IBM Canada.

So far, the CyberPol proposal has received nods from both public and private sectors, including IBM and the Canadian Bankers Association, according to Wilms. The Canadian Anti-Counterfeiting Network, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, the RCMP and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police have likewise expressed their support for the initiative.

“We want to be very inclusive in ensuring that we are strengthening and increasing the amount of resources we are putting towards this,” said Wilms.

Big plans come with such big purpose, and Wilms wants the CyberPol Centre to become a one-stop-shop that will link cyber crime fighters from all sectors and make the endeavour as simplified as possible.

“(CyberPol) will be a forensics clearing house for law enforcement in Canada; it will be a training centre; I’m looking to have a global security operations centre there so we can actually see in real-time what is happening on the Internet,” he said.

Comments (11)

re:Law enforcers plan Canadian cyber-crime centre

by Sigh... 8/23/2007 12:00:00 AM'?There are only 245 technology police officers in Canada'' Yes and? It's a nation of 30 million people. That's less then either, New York state, Florida, Texas or California. They have fewer then 245 people dealing with this sort of thing. 'it?s taking six months to a year to actually get to do forensics on it, ' Unsubstantiated and HIGHLY doubtful. 'The cyber crime impact study will be conducted over the next four months, after which the CAPB will release a national report ?so Canadians can become aware,? Wilms added.' No. It's so you can get more money. It's what they always do. If they cared about the true nature of the problem a third party would conduct the study. Many already have but they must not be biased enough for Mr. Wilms. 'prosecuting crimes in the borderless world of the Internet.' Oooh nice sound bite but unfortunately untrue. The computers all reside somewhere and it isn't in thin air. ?Law enforcement is kind of stuck in a bit of a jurisdictional rut, I guess,? Why the uncertainly? Yes it's a real shame you can simply arrest whoever you like in whatever country they happen to be in. Lucily the SPF is here. ?I think the police will face the challenge of trying to convince the rest of the market that (CyberPol) adds value over and above what is already there,? Kirwan said. Woohoo, value added law enforcement. Go salesman, go. ?I?ve seen first hand in the different law enforcement agencies that this is not a priority and we?re falling behind dramatically,? he said. Might just having something to do with their having real crimes, with real victims. 'So far, the CyberPol proposal has received nods from both public and private sectors, including IBM and the Canadian Bankers Association, according to Wilms. ' Yah think? Hmm who will they buy their computers from... geez banks don't like being defrauded? Such revelations!. 'Big plans come with such big purpose, and Wilms wants the CyberPol Centre to become

RE: Law enforcers plan Canadian cyber-crime centre

by Gwyn 9/20/2007 12:00:00 AMI have been the victim of a chronic harassment scheme for almost two years. It started out as an internet hacking that progressed to (in addition to cyber stalking and harassment that is still continuing) physical stalking, including break and enter, after those who live local to me stole address information from my machine. Local police treated my situation like a joke when I reported it, and I felt even more victimised as a result. I'm even too afraid to follow up with them, because reporting it made me feel scared and mistrustful of anyone in authority, given the way I was treated. I don't think justice will ever be served in my case, and that has left me feeling extremely hopeless and depressed. While this initiative does look promising, I'm a little skeptical--not to mention cynical--at the same time.

RE: Law enforcers plan Canadian cyber-crime centre

by Moo Siddig 11/12/2007 12:00:00 AMCan you contact me pelase as soon as you can.

Scriptlance's cheating.

by Basheer Ahmed 11/10/2007 12:00:00 AMSir, The Canadian freelancer, Scriptlance, is in the habit of cheating the online workers and stealing their earnings. They do not release the amount deposited in our account, sometimes and get absented themselves without releasing our money. This goes on several times in a year and we do not know whom to contact and give complaint, as their site do not have contact address. We only know that they are operating from Canada. Can any one help me and tell how to solve this type of cheatings by online job providers. Thanking you, With regards, Basheer Ahmed, Mecca Software Services India, Pondicherry.

RE: Hopefully this wont take too long to happen

by Look at the Relaity 8/30/2007 12:00:00 AMWhat a load of unadulterate carp! This entire initiative is nothing more than getting some cushy positoins for a bunch of pending retirees. CYber-crime is nothing new -- it is the same old scams that have been going on for years. Did you know the Nigerian scams date back to the 1970's? And were originally extortion attempts? The advance-fee lottery scams? Been around since the earth was formed. And pyramid sales schemes have been around since money first appeard on the planet... Get over it people -- none of this stuff is new, and using computers to commit the scams is nothing different than using the postal service, etc. Don't get caught up in all the hype, and try to examine this with a critical eyefor what iot really is. As for cyber-crimes being borderless -- what bunk! The crime occurs in atleast one jurisidction (otherwise it wouldn't be a crime) and it is no different than multinational scams that have been going on for years before computers were invented. It has nothing to do with 'cyber space' and everything to do with international co-operation and extradition treaties, etc.

Miss

by Dana 8/24/2007 12:00:00 AMWe really do need more methods to stop and solve cyber crimes in Canada and across the world. I wonder if they will offer courses for people who would like to learn and make a career in taking a bite out of crime! I know I would, just have no idea where to look to learn something like this.

Hopefully this wont take too long to happen

by Sandra 8/23/2007 12:00:00 AMI was delighted to hear about this goal, we need more methods to stop and solve cyber crimes in Canada. There is no true methods to stop cyber harrasment to date, though everyone says you can do this. We have had issues of harrassing 'ex's' in this house and though reported to the police, nothing truly is done. Anything to increase control (with lack of Internet control)is welcome by me and my house!

Cyberspace Security Training

by Douglas Burton 8/28/2007 12:00:00 AMGeorgian College in Barrie offers a one year post grad program in computer and network security. http://www.georgianc.on.ca/academics/programs/program_info.php?major=CYSE

mr

by dan rafols 8/28/2007 12:00:00 AMthis is a good initiative and to be much appreciated. a good start and needs nourishment too.i hope for the best and more power to the group!

It's about time.

by Mark 8/29/2007 12:00:00 AMRight now, to be an RCMP 'computer cop' in Canada, you have to be a full member of the RCMP. That means the boot camp followed by the time on the street followed by regular re-postings all over hell's half acre. The 'good news' in this announcement is the acceptance of the idea of a 'special constable' technology officer. I've been wanting to get into computer crime research and law enforcement for years, but I never wanted to be a traditional 'cop' except for when I see jerks on the road around me doing stupid things behind the wheel, and I certainly don't want to move to Tuktoyuktuk just because it's my turn in the rotation...

Re; Law Enforcement plan Canadian cyber-crime cebtre

by In the business 8/28/2007 12:00:00 AMThis could have happened years ago if the Vancouver based POLCYB (www.POLCYB.org) hadn't sat on its duff and just fostered turf wars. @Dana from St. Catherines --- I forget the name off hand, but Ontario has a new university that offers courses in information security, as a starting point. Also look up HTCIA, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, computer and information auditing, courses on general forensics, computer forensics, etc. Its not as easy as just knowing how to use a computer, you have to understand auditing, forensics, evidence, and more. It is defeinitely an interesting field to get into, but unfortunately none of it is like the fantasy stuff that appears in TV shows or Tom Clancy 'Net Force' novels. All the best in pursuing your goals to become involved!