Construction of Cyber bureau office building initiated

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Sep.1: Inspector General of Nepal Police Basanta Bahadur Kunwar and Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal Park Tae-Young jointly laid the foundation stone for the construction of a building of Cyber Bureau in Samakhusi, Kathmandu, Wednesday.

The building is to be advanced and well-equipped with modern technologies to battle cybercrime. It is being constructed under the financial support of USD 8 million from the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

"The state-of-the-art Nepal Police Cyber Bureau building is being constructed under the project 'Establishment of Cyber Bureau with Capacity Building for Nepal Police'. Along with the building, KOICA shall provide equipment related to cyber-crime investigation and digital forensic lab and capacity building of relevant human resources of Nepal Police that shall strengthen the anti-cyber-crime capabilities of Nepal Police," read a press release by KOICA.

"Cases of cybercrime are on the rise, so there is a need to upgrade Nepal Police's Cyber Bureau and prevent the citizens. The Korean government will continue to coordinate with Nepal Police to tackle cybercrime," said Ambassador Park. 

IGP Kunwar thanked the South Korean government, the people of South Korea and KOICA for their generous support as the building of the Cyber Bureau is a high-quality long-term support for Nepal Police. 

"There is a need to upgrade ourselves in the sector of science and technology to go parallel with the new trends of cybercrime. The building will be very valuable for the Cyber Bureau," said IGP Kunwar.

The Cyber Bureau was established after amending the Police Code, 2071, on September 30, 2019. It started operating from the Nepal Police Headquarters and is now providing services from a rented building in Bhotahity, Kathmandu.

Stakeholders present in a consultation on digital violence organised by the Media Advocacy Group (MAG) and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Nepal, in Lalitpur on August 24 had raised concerns related to the Cyber Bureau's office citing that it was unfriendly to disabled, women, minor, elderlies and children. 

Cyber Bureau officers present in the consultation programme had said that once the new building to be constructed by KOICA is completed, it would address everyone's concerns.

According to KOICA, the project shall be completed by 2026. "The Cyber Bureau building will be completed by February 2025," read the press release.

Once the building is constructed, the Cyber Bureau will be the first of the four specialised bureaus under the Nepal Police to have its own advanced building.