: The State Government is going to set up a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for cyber security, a one-of-its-kind initiative to secure the cyber ecosystem of the State, here at the premises of Commissionerate of Police complex.
 
The State-owned Odisha Computer Application Centre (OCAC) has invited tenders from reputed agencies to set up and run the CoE in Bhubaneswar to cater to the needs of the State Police.
 
According to official sources, cybercrime is becoming a global phenomenon and a worldwide concern. As cybercriminals face no boundaries, the traditional law enforcement approach is becoming superseded.
 
A vital aspect to fight against cybercrime is that the State law enforcement agency is yet to have a CoE for cyber security.
 
Also, to establish cyber intelligence, investigation and forensic units, those are fully prepared both from the equipment and the knowledge point of view to face cybercriminals and their destructive actions, sources said.
 
The CoE will have tools, technologies, processes, and trained manpower to combat the cybercriminals. It will be the nodal point of contact and advisory agency for the State in cybercrime investigation and enablement.
 
To efficiently handle the cybercrime investigations and analytics, the Centre will have skilled manpower in the core areas. One of the important aspects of the project is to have an effective cyber security workforce, the sources said.
 
The main objective of setting up of the CoE is to strengthen the future cyber security environment by expanding cyber education; coordinating and redirecting research and development efforts across the Government; and working to define and develop strategies to deter hostile or malicious activity in cyberspace.
 
One of the key aspects of the project is to have an effective cyber security workforce to help the police personnel in investigating cybercrime cases. It will also help in planning, designing, and analyzing cyber security capacity building programmes for the State Government.
 
 
The centralized analytics platform can help cops identify illegal activities being carried out in deep and dark web such as drugs, human trafficking, credit card frauds and fake passports. The platform can also identify rumors and fake or provocative materials circulated on social media.
 
As many as 1,931 cyber crime cases reported in Odisha during 2020, which was increased by 5.5% to 2,037 cases in 2021.