SIPA

On August 30, 2010 the working group tasked with combating cyber and high tech crime held a meeting at the BiH Prosecutor's Office. The meeting was attended by members of the Working Group from law enforcement, judicial and security agencies in BiH and representatives of relevant ministries.

The meeting focused on the preparation of specialized training for police and judicial officials in Bosnia and Herzegovina, entities and Brcko District on how to tackle cyber and high tech crime, that should soon be organized in one of EU countries with well developed police capacities to combat this type of crime.

The meeting also included discussions about the procedural and technical difficulties faced by police and the judiciary when dealing with cyber and high tech matters, as well as activities required to resolve such difficulties.

The meeting participants discussed the need to adapt the BiH legislation to allow the law enforcement agencies to fight against this type of crime more effectively and in accordance with the implementation of the UN Convention on combating Cybercrime and additional protocols ratified by BiH in 2005 and 2006.

The participants also discussed the future activities of law enforcement agencies in BiH in the fight against cyber and e-crime, as well as various forms of criminal offenses committed by use of internet including, inter alia, criminal offenses of unauthorized use of copyright, distribution of illegal software, child pornography, spreading national and religious hatred and intolerance, illegal intrusion into electronic systems, as well as abuse of electronic means of payment.

In the future the work of the WG will be aimed at defining which activities are required to ensure that law enforcement agencies in BiH, Entities and Brčko District have sufficient human and technical resources to fight against this type of crime. In BiH, this type of crime has, according to statistics, been increasing significantly in the past several years.