AGC's new Criminal Justice Division to examine crime trends

AGC's new Criminal Justice Division to examine crime trends

SINGAPORE - The Attorney-General's Chambers' (AGC) has created a new Criminal Justice Division, which will deal with serious Penal Code Offences, Misuse of Drugs Act offences and other laws.

The new division is the result of a merger between the Criminal Justice and State Prosecution Divisions.

In a statement released on Friday, the AGC said that the new division will "examine crime trends to identify possible issues for review and propose possible reforms to improve the criminal justice system in the long run".

The new division will be headed by Chief Prosecutor Tai Wei Shyong.

The Economic Crimes and Governance Division will also be re-designated as the Financial and Technology Crime Division, to bring the prosecution of cybercrimes under its purview.

The AGC said that it recognises that many financial crimes today involve cross-border transactions and the use of sophisticated technology.

"The Financial and Technology Crime Division focuses on financial crimes ranging from securities fraud and money laundering to corruption and criminal breach of trust, as well as a broad range of cybercrimes," it said.

In the first half of this year, police statistics showed that online cheating has increased more than four times compared to the same period last year, reports The Straits Times.

The AGC's Legislation and Law Reform Division has also been renamed as the Legislation Division, to reflect its focus on law drafting and its ceasing of law reform projects.

The organisational changes will take effect from Nov 1.

seanyap@sph.com.sg

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