The Manitoba government announced new funding on Wednesday to help the Winnipeg Police Service combat cybercrime.

Justice Minister Kelvin Goertzen announced the investment on Wednesday, saying the funding will help provide equipment and training to police officers.

Goertzen said at a press conference on Wednesday: "Between 2016 and 2020, the Winnipeg Police Service saw a 370 percent increase in reported cybercrimes, including ransomware programs, other attacks, and cryptocurrency theft."

"It is important to highlight the dark places that are not all physical locations, but often electronic places where criminals lurk and look for victims."

To help fight cybercrime, the police are receiving $100,000 from the Criminal Property Confiscation Fund for five additional members of the cybercrime team to participate in the Certified Inspector Program to track cryptocurrencies.

The funding will also help purchase specialized software to track illicit financial cyber activities.