During his speech at a half-day conference organised by MARM (the Malta Association of Risk Management), the Minister of Home Affairs and National Security Manuel Mallia, declared that the cybercrime unit “needs more resources both in terms of staff as also with regards to the equipment.”

The cybercrime unit in the Maltese police force registered five hundred and seventy six complaints (576) last year, the most common crimes being computer misuse, such as hacking, and fraud. This amounts to an increase of two hundred cases from the previous year. Last year the cybercrime unit collected 4,339 items to be analysed and documented.

Minister Manuel Mallia said that the police and other authorities have to upgrade their methods so as to counteract these new methods and new crimes. The Cybercrime Unit was launched back in 2003. Now it has a work force of 6 police officers headed by Inspector Timothy Zammit. “When the cybercrime unit started work, it would investigate approximately 60 cases. Now this number is six times as much.”

The staff working at the unit needs to be technical and investigative at the same time. Minister Mallia said that at the moment his ministry is taking stock of the situation so as upgrade the cybercrime unit, keeping in mind the availability of EU funds. There is also a pressing need to upgrade our legislative tools because at present, there is no law-abiding procedure which regulates the handling of electronic evidence.

Malta joined the global alliance against online child sexual exploitation via a conjoined initiative between the American Department of Justice and the European Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom. The Action Plan for Malta was confirmed in the first weeks of the present government. The government’s action plan includes victim identification, prevention campaigns and training for professionals as well as enforcing the National Children’s Policy. Among other child offences carried out virtually, last year the cybercrime unit investigated 11 cases of child pornography.

Presently the Malta Communications Authority, together with Appogg and the commissioner for Children, is benefiting from EU Funds via a project called BeSmartOnline. The Cybercrime Unit, schools, and the University are all partners in this project whereby there is an internet hotline managed by Appogg and lectures about using the internet responsibility are given to classes between years 6 till form 3.

Through the years diverse national ICT strategies have been published. The previous government had already admitted that the cybercrime unit needed more resources. MITA – the Maltese information technology agency and the Malta Communications authority at the moment are drafting a National ICT strategy for the coming years.

“As a Minister responsible for police,” Manuel Mallia promised that he “will suggest that the police are involved in the structuring of this strategy” as it is his wish that the security of technology infrastructure as well as cybercrime will be a priority.

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