Launch of the National Cybercrime Action Plan

1. Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, announced Singapore's National Cybercrime Action Plan (NCAP) at the RSA Conference Asia-Pacific & Japan on 20 July 2016.

2. Criminal elements have been making use of the Internet to commit cybercrimes quickly, easily, and on a large scale. In particular, the anonymity afforded by the Internet and the transnational nature of cybercrime have made it easier for criminals to avoid detection. These characteristics of cybercrime pose signifi­cant challenges for law enforcement agencies around the world.

3. A concerted national effort is therefore required to effectively deal with the threat of cybercrime. The NCAP sets out the Government's strategies in combating cybercrime. The NCAP also details the Government's ongoing efforts, as well as future plans, to effectively deal with the threat of cybercrime.

4. The vision of the NCAP is to ensure a safe and secure online environment for Singapore. To achieve this, the Government will adopt a multi-pronged strategy. The Government's strategy to combat cybercrime has four key priorities:

a) Educating and empowering the public to stay safe in cyberspace;

b) Enhancing the Government's capacity and capability to combat cybercrime;

c) Strengthening legislation and the criminal justice framework; and

d) Stepping up partnerships and international engagements.

5. The activities of cybercriminals will continue to grow in scale, complexity and severity worldwide, and the transnational nature of cybercrime will continue to pose legal and operational diffi­culties for law enforcement agencies. Prevention must therefore be a key component of the strategy to counter the threat of cybercrime.

6. The Government will foster strong partnerships between industry, institutes of higher learning, the public and law enforcement agencies, and forge a sense of shared responsibility in the fi­ght against cybercrime, so that collectively we create a safe and secure online environment.