Kochi: Amid an increase in the number of cyber cases, the Home Department has ordered that 15 cyber cells in the state be converted into cyber police stations.

With this, there will be 19 cyber police stations in the state. The new cyber police stations will be set up at Thiruvananthapuram Rural, Kollam City, Kollam Rural, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Idukki, Ernakulam Rural, Thrissur Rural, Wayanad, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode Rural, Kannur and Kasaragod.

It is also proposed to create 15 posts of inspectors in these new stations. There will be no cyber cells in these areas anymore.

There are cyber police stations and cyber cells in Kozhikode City, Ernakulam City, Thiruvananthapuram City and Thrissur City. However, the order issued on October 22 does not specify whether the cyber cells in these areas will be shut down.

Police officials said cyber cases cannot be thoroughly investigated just by creating cyber police stations. They allege that 15 new posts for cyber stations have not been created and that 15 inspector posts of the Armed Police Division at the district headquarters of the police have been shifted to the cyber stations.

The Home Department had on October 22 suspended 15 posts of inspectors in the Armed Police.

How cyber police stations differ from cyber cells

In cyber cells, SIs are responsible for cases. Cyber police stations, however, are headed by inspectors. The inspector has the authority to investigate cyber cases. 

A cyber cell cannot file a case directly. The cyber cell assists in the investigation of cyber cases registered at the respective police stations.

A cyber police station can directly register a case depending on the seriousness of crimes. It can also assist in the investigation of cases by police stations.