Sri Lanka CERT and Sri Lanka Police Strengthen Cyber Security Capacity of Police Officers in Southern Province

Sri Lanka CERT, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Police and the Police Information Technology Division, has conducted a series of special cyber security awareness programmes for more than 300 police officers serving in the Galle, Matara and Tangalle Police Divisions in the Southern Province.

The programmes are part of an island wide initiative aimed at strengthening the cyber security knowledge of police officers and enhancing their capacity to identify, prevent and respond effectively to emerging cyber threats and digital crimes.

The programme conducted in the Southern Province focused on the increasing risks associated with the use of digital technologies and provided police officers with practical knowledge on modern cybercrime trends, social media-related scams, digital evidence preservation, information security practices and effective response to cyber incidents.

Particular attention was given to the role of law enforcement officers in identifying cyber-enabled crimes, protecting and preserving digital evidence, and responding appropriately to cyber incidents. The programmes also highlighted the importance of adopting secure digital practices in the course of official duties.

The programme series is being conducted on the instructions of Inspector General of Police, Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya, under the direction of Deputy Inspector General of Police Nishani Senavirathna, in charge of the Police Research and Information Technology Directorate. The programmes are organized by Senior Superintendent of Police K.G. Laksiri Geethal, Director of the Police Information Technology Division.

The awareness sessions were conducted by Nirosh Ananda, Chief Information Security Officer of Sri Lanka CERT, Thilina Dissanayake, Cyber Security Training Manager at Sri Lanka CERT, and Police Inspector H.K.E. Harshaka of the Police Information Technology Division.

Sri Lanka CERT and the Sri Lanka Police will continue to conduct such programmes with the objective of building a stronger cyber security culture within the law enforcement sector and strengthening the ability of police officers to respond effectively to the rapidly evolving digital threat landscape.