NPA Facility to Train 2,000 Policemen in Cybercrime Probe

The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy's National Digital Crime Resource and Training Centre, which is the only facility of its kind in India, will train 2,000 policemen over the next two years in investigating cyber crime, an official said on Thursday.

The training of serving police officials and investigating personnel will start from December this year.

Academy director Aruna Bhaugana told reporters on Thursday that the NDCRTC, a research and training institute which also serves as a depository of all kinds of crimes, recently started functioning.

The 67th batch of Indian Police Service (IPS) officer trainees, passing out on Saturday, became the first batch to be trained by the NDCRTC in cyber crime investigations and also in how to use cyber technology to detect crime.

Since IPS officers have only a supervisory role, the facility will roll out courses to train officers who actually investigate the cyber crime.

With cyber experts from various agencies and institutions, it will also provide training to personnel of other law enforcing agencies like customs, revenue intelligence and income tax in dealing with the cyber crime.

According to academy's deputy director H.K. Kusumakar, the department of electronics and information technology in the ministry of communication and information technology is funding the centre to the tune of Rs. 3.68 crores for two years.

After this period, the centre will offer paid courses for government and private organizations and individuals to generate its own revenues and become self-reliant.

The centre will have a governing body comprising members from agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the state police on rotation basis.

There will also be a technical body comprising 25 to 30 technical advisors from various organizations like Central Forensic Lab (CFL) of Hyderabad and private individuals.

The centre is currently designing course curriculum and study material. The course duration will range from one day to two weeks.

"We also have plans for liasioning with similar international organisations," said Kusumakar.