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The Kochi City police are set to make a network of around 300 tech-savvy college students to strengthen their fight against the growing menace of cybercrimes. The students, designated as cyber first respondents, have been selected from nine colleges within the city limits.The plan is part of the recently launched ‘Community-Led Initiative for Cyber-Resilient Keralam’ to combat cybercrimes. The selected students have been given first-level training in identifying different types of cyber-related offences and how to stay alert to them. Once the training is completed, they will be roped in to sensitise the public through a series of awareness sessions at the community level, according to sources in the city police. The student volunteers were selected in consultation with the college managements. The colleges have agreed to make their lab facilities available for training purposes, the sources said.The training covers common cyber offences, the modus operandi of criminals and the steps to be taken if a person falls victim to fraud. The police will issue certificates to students who complete the training.The police plan to reach out to 10,000 people from various walks of life through awareness sessions within a month.‘Create awareness’“Besides the 290 students selected as cyber first respondents, we are also planning to create awareness of cybercrimes among 10,000 people within a month. Programmes will be conducted in colleges and among community groups with the help of ward councillors and Kudumbashree workers,” a cyber police officer said. Bank employees will also be given training as part of the campaign, he added.The police, according to officers, are also keen to leverage the expertise of student volunteers to improve their efficiency in investigating cybercrimes.“Students often have greater exposure to advanced technologies, while the police face challenges in dealing with cybercrimes. The police expect to benefit from interactions with student volunteers,” an officer said. Published – November 14, 2026 07:00 am IST
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