Computer Forensics Course
The advances in computer technology have brought a new dimension to contemporary criminal investigation. Computers are used for everything from storing information to transmitting data and facilitating communications. As criminal activities are taking place in what is commonly known as "Cyberspace", the skill of analysing and retrieving digital evidence is the key to successfully detecting crime and cracking down on criminals.
In 2005, the Computer Forensics Section of the Technology Crime Division in Commercial Crime Bureau (CCB) recovered and analysed more than 35,000 Gigabytes of computer data, a seven-fold increase over 2001.
To boost the Force's computer forensics capability to meet challenges, CCB, in collaboration with the Police College, organised the second two-week "Computer Forensics Certification Course" last month. Conducted by computer experts from the Force and overseas, the course is one of four new advanced training programmes, which have been developed by the Technology Crime Division and operated under the management of the Police College.
The course covers computer forensics theories, usage of various kinds of computer forensics tools, and knowledge of different kinds of computer file systems. It is aimed at providing the Force's computer forensic examiners with a practical certification in their specialist field so that they can be equipped with the necessary credentials for giving expert evidence in legal proceedings.
A total of 21 officers attended the computer forensics certification course. Besides Force members, the other participants came from the Office of Telecommunications (OFTA), Customs and Excise Department (C&E) and Macao Judiciary Police.
As the "Unsolicited Electronic Messages Bill" will be introduced in the near future and enactment of this new legislation will require enforcement action by OFTA officers, their participation in the course will lay the foundation for future co-operation between the Force and OFTA in fighting the problems caused by unsolicited electronic messages. The course also provided C&E officers dealing with Internet piracy a good opportunity to share their technical and computer forensics knowledge with other participants.
Commenting on the course, a criminal investigator from the Macao Judiciary Police, Mr Eric Choi, said, "This two-week course is rich in content and has enhanced computer forensic examiners' capability in recovering and retrieving digital evidence."
The success of the course also underscores the synergy that has developed between the Crime Wing, which provided training expertise, and the Police College, which offered a professional platform and accreditation. This partnership will ensure that training programmes will continue to meet the needs of the Force.
The course underscores the training partnership between the Crime Wing and the Police College