Manila, March 24 -- The latest batch of 44 agents of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) is expected to help crack down on emerging trends in cybercrime, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said Monday.

In an interview with reporters, Santiago said Batch 52 of the NBI Academy composed of 32 lawyers, 10 accountants and two licensed criminologists will undergo training in information technology (IT) forensics from Australian experts.

"(M)ahusay ang Australian sa cybercrime (The Australians have proven competence on cybercrime). We have an existing memorandum of agreement," he said.

"(A)lam nyo naman, ang krimen ngayon ay cybercrime na. Yan ang bagong trend. Buong mundo, hindi lang dito sa Pilipinas. Kaya, kailangan talaga kami magsumikap ...