The campaign against cybercrime is now the focus of the executive and judicial branches, to be further strengthened through expanded inter-agency coordination and capacity-building programs.

The new tactic is aimed at improving the investigation, prosecution, and adjudication of cybercrime cases.

The Department of Justice’s Office of Cybercrime (DoJ-OOC) said it has joined the Supreme Court-led Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (TWG) on Cybercrime, a body tasked with planning, developing and implementing coordinated training programs for justice-sector institutions.

The inter-agency initiative seeks to enhance the technical capabilities of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and members of the judiciary in handling cybercrime cases while promoting closer coordination among agencies involved in the criminal justice system.

Faster information sharing

The TWG, according to the DoJ-OOC, will also work toward harmonizing procedures, strengthening information-sharing mechanisms and improving collaboration in the investigation, prosecution and resolution of cybercrime cases, while respecting the respective mandates and institutional independence of participating agencies.

The justice said the initiative reflects the government’s continuing efforts to build a more coordinated and effective response to the growing threat posed by cyber-enabled crimes.

Also, the DoJ-OOC partnered with the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired Inc. to conduct the first Disability Sensitivity and Accessible Cybercrime Response Workshop on 27 July.

Government frontline personnel were trained by the workshop on disability sensitivity, trauma-informed approaches, inter-agency coordination, and accessible cybercrime response to help ensure that persons with disabilities receive equitable access to government services when reporting or seeking assistance in cybercrime-related cases.

The initiative forms part of its broader effort to make cybercrime response more inclusive, people-centered and responsive to the needs of vulnerable sectors while reinforcing the country’s institutional capacity to combat cybercrime through stronger collaboration between the executive and the judiciary.