In a bid to further capacitate the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) in curbing cybercrime and its related offences in the country and beyond, the Ministry of Information and Communications under the leadership of Minister Mohamed Rahaman Swaray Monday 13 2023 officially doled out four brand new laptop computers and their accessories to the Executive Management Board of the SLP.
Speaking at an emergency Police press conference hosted at headquarters on George Street in Freetown, before officially handing over of the gadgets to the leadership of the SLP, in the person of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Brima Jah, Communications and Information Minister Swaray recalled during his visit to Ethiopia, Addis Ababa in 2018, when Sierra Leone was disgracefully listed among countries that were named and shamed for failure to implement the cyber security protocol. Swaray said since then he realized that Sierra Leone needed help to protect her cyber space. He informed that cybersecurity is not about politics but for the protections of other sectors, including banks, children, personal privacies and other human safety, as well as emerging mechanisms to prevent cyber security problems in the country.
The Communications Minister said returning home, he pushed further with a cabinet paper for cybercrime bill and after it was passed by the House of Parliament the legislation has so fat not been shelved. He told journalists that government is being supported by development partners in the implementation of the Cybercrime law.
As for digitalisation, Minister Swaray underscored the significance of the digital age, pointing out that digitalization comes along with mass crime rate. He encouraged those who are narrowing the cyber law to politics to look at the law beyond politics. Swaray said it is not about politics but for protect fundamental rights, thus also encouraged all and sundry to do themselves some good by reading around the cyber law, which is modelled around some modern good laws in the world.
On behalf of the IGSLP William Fayia Sellu, AIG Brima Jah reassured Ministry of Information and Communications that the SLP Cyber Lab will make judicious use of the gadgets. He called on other public and private institutions to emulate the good works of the Information and Communications Ministry to enable the Police carryout their duties of curbing cybercrime in the country effectively. AIG Jah acknowledged the frantic efforts of government in helping the Police in fighting cybercrime in the country and beyond. Brima described cybercrime as new, but danger, hence solicited further capacity developments from friends of the Police through regular trainings of personnel and backups with equipment to enable them work effectively.
By ways of guiding Police personnel on the uses of the gadgets to detect cybercrimes, Mariama Yormah, National Cybersecurity Coordinator from the Ministry of Information and Communications outlined necessary steps that required to be followed in carrying out their respective duties.
