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Cyber Safety Pasifika brings Internet awareness to NMI
The CNMI Department of Public Safety recently rolled out the Cyber Safety Pasifika project in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The project is aimed at protecting communities, children, youth, and other vulnerable people from the impact of cyber-crime. It is primarily an educational program with back up crime reporting and investigational support through Australia and New Zealand.
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- Students from Kagman High School attend an Internet safety awareness presentation. (Contributed Photo)
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- As part of the program, the PICP Secretariat provided CNMI DPS’ Cyber Safety Pasifika program with a new Epson digital projector and projection screen to use during the awareness presentations. (Contributed Photo)
Cyber Safety Pasifika is collaboration between the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat, Pacific Transnational Crime Network, and the High Tech Crime Operations, Crime Prevention team, of the Australian Federal Police.
The Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police endorsed Cyber Safety Pasifika as a high priority police project at their meeting in Pohnpei in 2011, and it was launched in the Gold Coast, Australia, in 2012.
“These presentations equate to some 22,000 children and young people having been exposed to cyber safety awareness and presentations have been made to 800 community members since the program was launched in 2012,” Federal Agent Melissa Northam (Australian Federal Police) stated about the launch.
DPS is very grateful to the PICP, the AFP and the presenters for coming to the CNMI to help with this very important project. In particular, DPS wishes to thank the delegates of the PICP for their support in getting the program delivered across the Pacific.
A two-person team from the Australian Federal Police High Tech Crime Operations and the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat spent a hectic three days on Saipan, delivering a workshop to eight CNMI DPS officers. The group was also able to deliver awareness sessions to Marianas High School, Kagman High School, and ChaCha Ocean View Middle School.
Internet awareness sessions will begin to be a part of the local Cyber Safety Pasifika team and will roll out islandwide to all schools.
Further information regarding Cyber Safety Pasifika can be found at http://www.cybersafetypasifika.org. (DPS)
