Bhubaneswar: Union home ministry conducted a screening test in Bhubaneswar on Saturday for the second phase selection of ‘cyber commandos‘ from Odisha police, official sources said on Sunday. Over 100 police personnel of various ranks appeared for the written examination.
Successful candidates will receive an intensive six-month practical training at institutes like IIT Madras, IIT Kanpur, and National Forensic Science University, Gandhinagar. The programme incorporates hands-on exercises, industry exposure and field visits to equip the commandos for cybersecurity challenges.
“The ‘cyber commando’ initiative aims to establish a specialised group of well-trained police officers who will safeguard information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, handle incident responses and conduct digital forensics within their organisations while serving as a national resource,” director general (crime branch), Vinaytosh Mishra, said.
Selection criteria targets serving personnel from state and central police who demonstrate a basic understanding of computer networks and operating systems. Upon completion of training, the commandos will operate within their respective police organisations, applying their specialised knowledge in digital forensics, incident response and ICT infrastructure security.
In the first phase, six sub-inspectors from state police were selected as cyber commandos last month. Ministry of home affairs plans to recruit 5,000 cyber commandos within five years, integrating them into state police organisations. Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) of the ministry collaborates with police forces nationwide to strengthen cyber defence capabilities.
The centre will maintain regular contact with the cyber commandos to ensure their continuous development and enhancement of skills.