Bhubaneswar: Police commissioner Y.B. Khurania on Wednesday said his priority would be to set up a cyber police station within the jurisdiction of city police.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the 10th Raising Day of the Bhubaneswar-Cuttack commissionerate, Khurania said: "Cyber crime has emerged as the new form of crime and we need a special unit to deal with it. So, my first priority will be to set up a cyber police station in the commissionerate. We also need to put surveillance on social media."

Statistics suggest that the number of cyber crimes registered in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in 2014 was only 19. That number went up to 85 in 2016. The police said most cyber crime cases include cheating by impersonation, online fraud and harassment of women on social media.

Odisha has one one cyber police station that has been functioning from the Crime Branch office in Cuttack since 2006. However, it only registered 28 cases till October last year, despite having jurisdiction over the entire state. On the other hand, the number of cyber crime cases in the state stood at 669 by October against 378 in 2016.

Odisha director-general of police R.P. Sharma, who was present at the event, said women's safety and crime detection remains the top priority for the police. "The commissionerate has had noticeable success since its inception. As a result, the government has decided to come up with similar policing practices in Rourkela, Sambalpur and Berhampur. The government will take the final call on the matter and we will ensure that the system is functional in the three cities," said Sharma, who was previously served as the commissioner.

The police which will also hold a number of blood donation camps in the twin cities to mark its 10th Raising Day. Sharma also felicitated police officers of the twin cities for their exemplary work.