Cyber crime activities real in Botswana - DPP Director

Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Friday May 20, 2016 15:10

“Cyber crime is everywhere, the world over Botswana included. It is a great concern to us. That’s why we do these international conferences,” he said. He said cyber crime is very dangerous and complex because one can commit it anywhere without necessarily having to be in Botswana. Although he stated that cyber crime cases have been low in Botswana, there is need to tighten the gaps before the incidents escalate. He said there have been cyber crime cases investigated in the country before.

“We have been affected. Although we have not had a lot, I can cite cases such as the one where ICT was used to steal money at the Central Medical Stores. You can see what this does to economies.” Keetshabe said developing technical capacity in Information Communications Technology (ICT) and the establishment of legal framework for punishment of perpetrators could combat cyber crime activities.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Transport and Communications, Neil Fitt said the numbers of people who participate in the cyberspace are exponentially growing, currently at 15 percent of the population over the years. However, he said the growth has seen escalating incidents of criminal attacks unleashed against innocent people in the cyberspace.

“Our people across the breadth and width of the globe suffer a range of online criminal activities such as financial fraud, drugs, human trafficking and terrorism.

“While these crimes have existed offline for centuries, the cyberspace has provided a fertile seedbed for them to flourish by masking their perpetrators and increasing their pool of potential victims. The cyberspace has become a tool for criminals to siphon cash from the reservoirs of our banks without a sound, to halt our economic activities by a press of a button and lure our children into a trap of seduction and slavery,” he added.

Fitt said the fight against cyber crime requires a cohesive and coordinated approach.