Belize, Colombia Join Forces to Combat Cybercrime
Belize and Colombia are joining forces with Caribbean partners to strengthen their ability to combat cybercrime through the sharing of strategies, experience and technical knowledge.
The training is focused on strengthening capacity to prevent, investigate and respond to cybercrime, while building relationships among agencies that may need to work together when investigations cross borders.
It brought together officials from Belize, Colombia, Aruba, Barbados, Curaçao, Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname.
Commissioner of Police Dr. A. Richard Rosado said the workshop comes at an opportune time as countries work to combine their capabilities in addressing cybercrime.
“We believe that it came at an opportune time because as a region we need to combine our capabilities,” Rosado said. “We need to strengthen our network so that we can fight cybercrime on a collaborative front.”
Colombia’s National Police is leading the exchange, with Colombian cybercrime specialists sharing their experience in areas including cryptocurrency, artificial intelligence and ransomware.
Captain José Alejandro Reyes Duque of Colombia’s Cybernetic Police Centre said the same criminal techniques and technologies are being used in different countries, making international cooperation important in cybercrime investigations.
“Cybercriminals operate globally. Therefore, oftentimes there’s a criminal that is located in Europe that is attacking victims in this region of Latin America and the Caribbean,” Reyes Duque said. “That’s why communication among countries is so important.”
He said investigators may need information from other countries, such as the location of an IP address or details about technology used in an attack, to investigate a cybercrime.
Elton Bennett, Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said Belize is looking at the mechanisms and technologies being used by other countries to address similar threats.
“This activity fits clearly within our strategic desire of bringing the different parts of the Government of Belize that are responsible for cybersecurity,” Bennett said. “We have the right partners at the table and working along with our regional counterparts.”
The workshop is part of a broader cooperation programme between Colombia and CARICOM member states, Aruba and Curaçao, aimed at strengthening regional cooperation through the exchange of knowledge and experience.