Information technology has allowed criminals to ply their trade with more sophistication and a wider reach, and was making it more difficult for law enforcers to catch them, Singapore Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said.

The September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States showed that nations were "vulnerable" not just to transnational crimes but also to terrorism, Wong told senior officials preparing for an ASEAN ministerial meeting on transnational crime later this week.

"Just as criminals will seize the opportunity of cooperating among themselves for mutual benefit, there is no reason for our law enforcers not to do the same," he said.

Governments needed to continue developing their own technical and operational capabilities as well as sharing intelligence to better deal with criminals, he said.

Traditional criminal acts of drug-trafficking, money laundering and arms smuggling persisted, the minister said.

But "what is alarming is that dramatic developments in information technology (IT) and communication have allowed such criminal acts to become more sophisticated and pervasive, evading the capacity of individual governments to contain them," he added.

"As the world increasingly exploits the opportunities offered by the global reach of IT, we are also vulnerable to the effects of criminal activities perpetrated on the IT front.

"The effects of cybercrime cannot be underestimated. It can result in far-reaching consequences and irreparable damage. A computer bug can cripple critical infrastructures, resulting in loss of life and property," he said.

While law enforcment agencies were adapting to the rapid changes, criminals were also keeping pace, leading to the emergence of a new breed who were "smart, highly mobile and able to manipulate and utilise technology to their advantage," Wong said.

"In the light of such developments, we will have to continue to strive to stay ahead of the criminals. We may live in an age of technology but our law enforcers do not have a monopoly on technology," he said.

The September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States also "changed the mental model of terrorism" as the the destruction was broadcast live via satellite television worldwide, Wong said.

Wong expressed support to the US retaliatory strikes against Afghanistan, which is harboring as a "guest" Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the deadly terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.

Singapore has increased security like other countries and will "continue to assess the threat situation and adopt the appropriate level of security," he said.

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