University of Nicosia and Dubai police tackle financial crime

Dubai Police this week announced a new diploma programme on financial investigations for digital assets, which was developed in partnership with the University of Nicosia’s Institute for the Future (IFF).

According to an announcement by the university, the programme aims to enhance the skills of Dubai Police employees in combatting financial crimes that involve digital assets.

The launch of the programme comes as part of a Memorandum of Cooperation signed between the IFF and Dubai Police, with a focus on applying blockchain and digital currency in law enforcement.

The partnership started by offering Esaad cardholders the chance to pursue UNIC’s masters degree in blockchain and digital currencies.

The announcement was made at the 2nd World Police Summit, which brought together more than 200 experts to discuss current challenges facing police forces and the latest technological advancements.

Commenting on the launch of the new diploma programme, Major General Jamal Salem Al Jallaf, Director of the General Department of Criminal Investigation, said that crimes could take many forms and are constantly evolving.

He added that criminals have become more skilled at carrying out criminal activities, especially those associated with technology.

“This requires effective responses grounded in continuing to develop the security and operational system in cooperation with partners and institutions from government and private sectors to unify efforts and attain our common objectives of enhancing the security of societies”, he said.

“This diploma enhances the Force’s efforts to combat emerging crimes and proactively prepare for any evolution of criminal tactics,” Al Jallaf added.

What is more, Major General Saleh Abdulla Murad, Director General of the general department of human resources, stated that the diploma comes within the framework of the force’s keenness to train and qualify its staff and refine their expertise with advanced and up-to-date training programmes through establishing partnerships with some of the most prestigious educational institutions in the world.

Meanwhile, Charis Savvides, professor at the Institute For the Future at the University of Nicosia, said that “the structure and content of this programme is the result of our close and fruitful cooperation with the Dubai Police; a true visionary of technological innovation in policing and crime fighting”.

“The courses, which are addressed to police investigators, prosecutors, judges and other officials of the criminal justice system, are delivered by experts in the field, including practitioners in the fields of both law and police investigation,” he added.

Major Saud Al Mutawa, head of the virtual assets section at the general department of criminal investigation, said that the diploma is aimed at investigators and specialists in combating financial crimes involving virtual assets, such as money laundering, extortion, tax evasion, and pyramid schemes.

The diploma programme covers several topics including, blockchain technology and digital assets, evaluating characteristics of digital assets, identifying and analysing suspicious crypto transactions, and enhancing the capacity to manage and recover digital assets.

Finally, the programme also covers assessing money laundering techniques using virtual currencies, detecting illegal financial transactions, judiciary steps for confiscation and asset recovery, as well as risks of money laundering in cryptocurrencies.