TEHRAN, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- Iran's police chief Esmail Ahmadi-Moqaddam said Thursday that the country's police plan to set up a "cyber police" division to counter Internet crimes, the English language satellite Press TV reported.

    The unit would be tasked with monitoring organized cyber crimes, the report quoted Ahmadi-Moqaddam as saying.

    "With regards to Internet crimes, the police force should increase its capabilities to counter such violations," he said.

    According to the report, Iranian police had identified in April124,000 cases pertaining to Internet crimes within a year.

    Among these cases, about 26 percent were related to unauthorized access to computer networks and hacking; spreading slander and lies accounted for 26 percent; while some 7 percent were copyright violations. Online harassment and bullying were among other reported crimes in the country.

    Computer crimes, particularly those related to hacking, copyright infringement, child pornography, and problems of privacy when confidential information is lost or intercepted, raised widespread public concerns in Iran.