CBI 'updating' Crime Manual

New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation is in the process of updating its Crime Manual in a bid to keep up with changes in crime patterns and legislation that have come about in the years since its establishment in 2005, officials here said.

They said that a lot has changed since the manual was established and that it was required to take a look at how it can be modified to incorporate these changes and keep up with the times.

The agency spokesperson said that several procedures have changed along with changes in the Code of Criminal Procedure and amendments have also been brought to crucial legislation like the Prevention of Corruption Act.

In addition, the Supreme Court of India has also since pronounced a large number of judgements that set a precedent in the way the agency should operate in certain situation.

Officials also said that cybercrime is an important aspect that needs to be properly worked into the manual, given that these kinds of crime have over the years increased in both frequency and sophistication.

In fact, the CBI had just recently hosted a National Cybercrime Investigation conference, where several ideas were discussed to establish better cooperation between state police authorities in cases where jurisdiction is not made clear, because of the nature of the crime.

The CBI spokesperson said that a major charter of the agency is also to coordinate with state police authorities to gather information about emerging patterns of crime, different modus operandi and other investigation aspects.

Moreover, the global connect is also getting stronger, with more Indian criminal being wanted by foreign countries and more foreign criminals being wanted by India, all of which have given rise to the need for updating the basic guidelines of the agency.