National Cyber Crime Centre opened at Kripos – 80 employees from day one
The police's new centre for digital crime, NC3, has officially opened at Kripos. The centre is expected to grow to 200 employees within three years.
NC3 to strengthen police efforts against digital crime
Justice and Immigration Minister Tor Mikkel Wara opened the National Cyber Crime Centre (NC3) at Kripos on Friday 25 January. According to cw.no, the centre has been sought after for several years – from politicians, from society and from the police themselves.
NC3 is a new department within Kripos and is part of the government's national strategy for digital security. The department is to serve as the police's leading unit in combating crime and threats in the digital sphere.
At the opening, 80 people were already employed at the centre. These are mainly employees who previously worked with digital crime at Kripos and who have now been reorganised into the new structure.
Kripos has further ambitions to recruit an additional 120 people over the next three years. The new department is built around three sections:
- Section for electronic evidence
- Section for internet-related investigation support
- Section for combating internet-related offences
NC3 is to work independently on cases within its field of expertise and serve as a resource centre for the entire Norwegian police force. The aim is to build a strong professional environment that can secure and utilise digital evidence and proof, and help develop these capabilities in the police districts.
"The internet, new services and the use of technology lower the threshold for committing crime. But technology also gives the police new opportunities to prevent and investigate criminal acts. I look forward to NC3 becoming a resource centre for the police, but also for us politicians and society at large," Wara said at the opening, according to a press release from Kripos.
Acting Police Director Håkon Skulstad points out that the public experiences less security in the digital sphere than in the physical world. "We believe that NC3 will help increase people's security, secure and sharpen expertise here at Kripos, and spread knowledge to the police districts," he says in the press release.
Collaboration is highlighted as a central prerequisite for the department to succeed. According to Kripos, NC3 must work closely with other actors in society both nationally and internationally.
Kripos chief Ketil Haukaas emphasises at the same time that NC3 alone cannot solve all the challenges the police face in the digital sphere. "Expertise in the districts must improve, and investment must be made in technology and other resources," he says in the press release.
Kripos was established in 1959, and is marking its 60th anniversary this year. Assisting the country's police districts and serving as a national centre of expertise has been among the core tasks throughout the organisation's lifetime – a role NC3 is now continuing into the digital landscape.
Source: Google News NO — Crime