[Source: Fiji Police Force/ Facebook]

Online safety and crime are becoming increasingly problematic as the region moves towards digitization, says Australia’s Ambassador for Cyber Affairs and Critical Technology, Brendan Dowling.

He made the comments during his official visit to the Criminal Investigations Department’s Cyber Crime Unit.

Dowling says Fiji and Australia face similar challenges as societies and economies become more connected online, and at the same time, criminals are taking advantage of these activities.

[Source: Fiji Police Force/ Facebook]

He says many criminals are taking advantage of online tools and digital tools to do the crimes that they may have previously done off-line, like drug trafficking, exploitation of children, and human trafficking, all using online tools and connectivity to perpetrate their crimes.

[Source: Fiji Police Force/ Facebook]

The Ambassador adds that collaboration is the key to tackling cybercrimes and also adopting some of those sophisticated tools to monitor what’s happening, which would ideally lead to prosecutions and hold people accountable for these activities.

[Source: Fiji Police Force/ Facebook]

Director CID SSP Loraini Seru thanked Ambassador Dowling for Australia’s support through the Australian Federal Police.