Investigators from the United States on Thursday concluded a two-week long counter-terrorism programme at the Indian Detective Training School at Chandigarh on the identification and seizure of digital evidence.
The training, organised jointly by the US embassy and the home ministry, was imparted by instructors from the US State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security under its Antiterrorism Assistance programme. So far, 82 such courses for Indian law enforcement professionals have been conducted over the last 16 years.
The just-concluded course was on the use of innovative crime scene investigation techniques to enhance the effectiveness of police investigations. The interactive workshop featured hands-on, practical scenarios that trained mid-level police officials to effectively secure a terrorist crime scene, with a particular focus on digital evidence and methods for exploring information obtained from terrorists' computers, USB drives and other electronic media.
Nearly 30 officials from central and state police forces participated in the programme organised by the home ministry's Bureau of Police Research and Development, including two officials from the National Investigation Agency.
US Charge d' Affaires Ambassador Peter Burleigh concluded pointed out that, "Terrorist attacks like the September 7 bombing at the New Delhi high court are a constant reminder of the need for our two democracies to work together in combating the scourge of terrorism."
He said the broad scope of cooperation extends to the highest levels, such as the recent India-US Homeland Security and Strategic Dialogue, to hands-on joint training sessions and cooperative investigations.
"The people and government of the United States are working hand-in-hand with India against terrorism, and we will continue to work together to address this global threat to innocent people with practical, timely and effective assistance and cooperation," he added.
