Sharjah to establish cyber-crime unit

SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A top police official in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, announced plans to establish a new unit to combat cyber crime.

In cooperation with the UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Col. Sami Harib Al Munthari, Sharjah Police coordinator for the Middle East Information Technology Security Conference, says officials are planning a new unit specifically to fight cyber crime, the Gulf News reported.

"The new unit will be used for emergency cases so that they can immediately visit the crime scene and gather all traces of evidence, whether in banks or in government buildings," Al Munthari said in a statement.

The fifth Middle East IT Security Conference began Monday. The four-day conference is an effort to focus on law enforcement's role in fighting cyber terrorism.

Despite what officials say is a low rate of reported cyber crimes in the UAE, Al Munthari says there are cyber crimes that originate from foreign countries.

"The criminals do not have to be in this country for us to launch an investigation," Al Munthari said. "Through this conference we aim to have an agreement with different countries on the rules that should be applied regarding cyber crimes."