Pacific region meets on cybercrime [1]
Friday, March 18, 2016 - 14:42. Updated on Thursday, April 14, 2016 - 15:12.
Legal representatives across the Pacific gathered in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, for a three-day workshop on cybercrime training and how it affects criminal justice systems in the region on 24-26 February 2016.
The workshop, organized by the Commonwealth Secretariat, served as a platform to discuss the common challenges that hinder detection, investigations and prosecutions of cybercrime and related crime in the region.
Legal Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Shadrach Haruna, said that cybercrime knows no national boundaries and that more criminals are using cyberspace to commit new crimes and to commit traditional crimes in new ways, which now require electronic evidence to effectively prosecute them.
“This platform is not just for sharing of information and intelligence on the dynamics of the crime but also to provide a hub for cooperation at the regional level.”
One of the outcomes of the workshop was to consider establishing a regional network of contact persons to work together on cybercrime related issues in the Pacific.
Acting Attorney-General of Tonga, ‘Aminiasi Kefu said it was important to build regional awareness among government officials, such as regulators, investigators and prosecutors.
“It is time to address cybercrime effectively and efficiently, because despite what they may think and see, cybercrime is already a threat in homes, workplaces and communities.”
David Tonganivalu, Director of Public Prosecutions for Nauru, said the conference was important in order to understand what cybercrime is and the threat it has in the Pacific.
“We are now in a better position to respond to this global threat. We were able to meet our other counterparts from within the region and have now established a working relationship with our law enforcement colleagues from the Commonwealth Secretariat and other relevant specialists from the UK, New Zealand and Australia,” said Tonganivalu.
The training was led by experts from the Commonwealth Secretariat, International Association of Prosecutors and Council of Europe and sponsored by the Commonwealth Secretariat, Council of Europe within the framework of the Global Action on Cybercrime (GLACY) Project, and Tonga’s Attorney General’s Office.
Representatives from ten Pacific countries were at the workshop including, Australia, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu.