The RCMP’s approach to combating cybercrime The RCMP is the only federal organization with the mandate and authority to investigate criminal offences related to cybercrime, such as those targeting government systems and networks, or other critical infrastructure sectors. Criminal intelligence allows law enforcement to ‘connect the dots’ of information from local to national and international criminal activity. As Canada’s national police force, the RCMP has a broad mandate to investigate criminals in the cyber realm, resulting in their apprehension or otherwise disrupting their cybercrime activity. Law enforcement activities extend from identifying and prioritizing cybercrime threats based on criminal intelligence, to investigating and disrupting cybercrime activities, to handling digital evidence in support of cybercrime investigations. The RCMP’s cyber-related roles and responsibilities align with its duty to preserve the peace and prevent crime and other offences against Canadian law as outlined in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act. Where the RCMP has been contracted as the local police service of jurisdiction at provincial, territorial and municipal levels, it also has a broad policing mandate in matters related to cybercrime as many crimes are committed by way of modern technologies. The RCMP also has a pivotal role within the broader government’s cyber community. Under Canada’s Cyber Security Strategy, the RCMP works closely with its government partners to foster a safe and secure cyber environment in Canada. The following section organizes the RCMP’s cyber-related roles and responsibilities around three main areas: criminal intelligence, criminal investigations and specialized services. Criminal intelligence The RCMP takes an intelligence-led approach to policing. Criminal intelligence allows law enforcement to ‘connect the dots’ of information from local to national and international criminal activity. Whether tactical, operational or strategic, criminal intelligence enables the RCMP and other Canadian police forces to set priorities and allocate resources based on the most significant criminal threats to Canada. This concept also applies to cybercrime, especially given its transnational dimension and the inherent need to identify patterns and relationships between cybercrime data and other relevant data sources from multiple jurisdictions. The RCMP may investigate cybercrime in response to a complaint or proactively as a result of criminal intelligence. Cybercrime intelligence - coming from investigations, police information databases, open source research and analysis, or partner collaboration between law enforcement and public and private sector stakeholders - can identify prolific and serious offenders in cyberspace and may objectively direct police resources to major cybercrime targets. The RCMP analyzes criminal intelligence from a wide array of sources, identifies emerging cybercrime threats, and makes links between cybercrime and other criminal domains, such as organized crime or financial crime. 8 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Cybercrime Strategy