DOJ, Supreme Court strengthen inter-agency fight against cybercrime

The Department of Justice's Office of Cybercrime (DOJ-OOC) has joined the Supreme Court-led Inter-Agency Technical Working Group (TWG) on Cybercrime to strengthen the government's campaign against cyber-enabled crimes through expanded coordination and capacity-building programs.

The DOJ-OOC said the TWG is tasked with planning, developing and implementing coordinated training programs for institutions involved in the criminal justice system.

The initiative aims to improve the technical capabilities of law enforcement officers, prosecutors and members of the judiciary in investigating, prosecuting and adjudicating cybercrime cases.

The technical working group will also harmonize procedures, strengthen information-sharing mechanisms and improve coordination among agencies while respecting the mandates and independence of participating institutions.

According to the DOJ-OOC, the initiative reflects the government's continuing effort to build a more coordinated and effective response to the growing threat of cybercrime.

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

The workshop trained frontline government personnel on disability sensitivity, trauma-informed approaches, inter-agency coordination and accessible cybercrime response to help ensure persons with disabilities receive equitable access to government services when reporting cybercrime-related incidents.

The DOJ said the program is part of its broader effort to make the country's cybercrime response more inclusive, people-centered and responsive to vulnerable sectors while strengthening institutional capacity through closer collaboration between the executive and judicial branches.