Police hail Macra for digital forensic lab

Inspector General of Police Merlyn Yolamu has hailed Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) for its technical support in setting up a digital forensic laboratory expected to enhance the police service’s ability to detect criminal syndicates.

The top cop expressed this in Lilongwe yesterday when she presided over the opening of a two-day workshop for police public relations officers (PROs)drawn from the Central West and Central East regions.

Macra organised the workshop under the theme ‘Policing in the digital era’.

Yolamu said the support has come at a time when police are struggling to adequately combat cybercrimes in the country.

Lately, there have been increased cases of cyber-crime, with prisoners being some of the biggest perpetrators.

Said Yolamu: “The world is migrating from analogue to digital, and so are crimes. This support comes at a time when we are struggling to adequately combat cybercrimes in the country, including electronic money fraud, as well as cyber-abetted crimes such as human trafficking and irregular migration, which put our country at a risk of harbouring terrorists.”

She was optimistic that through the workshop, the police PROs will be updated on the latest developments in cyber-security and how they can effectively communicate about security issues to the public.

In his remarks, Public Relations Society of Malawi (PRSM) chairperson Benson Linje said the workshop will touch on various areas including campaign planning, effective communication and particularly how the police can proactively communicate to their audiences as mostly they have been reactive.

Macra director general Daud Suleman said the workshop has been necessitated by the growing demands that the digital era has exerted over the enforcement of the communications regulator’s various mandates.

He said: “This is the ‘breaking news era’ where anyone with a phone and access to the Internet can share anything with the world at any given time.”

Suleman also highlighted that Macra has partnered with Police in forming the mobile fraud task forcecomprising the Reserve Bank of Malawi, Airtel Malawi plc, TNM plc, Macra, Police, Malawi Prisons Service and the National Registration Bureau.

Macra also held a similar workshop in Blantyre last week.