The RCMP announced plans on Tuesday to set up a federal cybercrime team to investigate online offences and attacks in Canada.
The creation of the team is part of an initiative that will be fully in place by 2020, said RCMP Chief Supt. Jeff Adam in a teleconference. The entire operation will see $30 million in funding from the federal government over five years, with a total of 40 new positions – both police officer and civilian – set to be created over that time.
“The vision of the RCMP’s cybercrime strategy is to reduce the threat, victimization and impact of cybercrime in Canada,” Adam said.
He said a “15-point action plan” will be pursued over the next five years, which will seek to “identify and prioritize cybercrime threats,” “pursue cybercrime through targeted enforcement” and “support cybercrime investigations with specialized skills, tools and training.”
Adam also spoke about the difficulty of solving these types of crimes, especially because the perpetrators could be anywhere in the world.
“This is not as simple as catching the car speeding down the street,” he said. “This is infinitely more complex and requires a whole new way of doing business.”
He said this new plan builds on the findings of a report published last year called “Cybercrime: an overview of incidents and issues in Canada.”
Adam also mentioned plans to establish a unit dedicated to identifying new types of cybercrime threats as well as expanding training opportunities for law enforcement a the Canadian Police College.
