Syed Shahid Hassan

Syed Shahid Hassan joined the Federal Investigation Agency in 1992 as an Inspector, beginning more than three decades inside Pakistan's federal law enforcement system. Much of that career sat at the edge of a problem the country had no real framework for yet: cybercrime.

In 2008, he became the first officer to head a Cybercrime Police Station, known as a Circle, in Punjab, Pakistan. At the time, there was almost no legal or institutional structure for cyber law enforcement in the country. He helped build it from the ground up as part of the National Response Centre for Cyber Crime (NR3C), Pakistan's first and only unit dedicated to digital forensics, cybercrime investigation, penetration testing, and information security audits.

To sharpen that work, he went to Canada, completing advanced studies in Crime & Intelligence Analysis and Forensic Investigation at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Vancouver, graduating with an A grade and an advanced specialty in applying technology to law enforcement. It is a credential very few Pakistani law enforcement officers hold, and it gave him a globally-informed view of investigation and forensics that he later brought back home.

Back in Pakistan, he rose through the FIA's Cybercrime Wing, eventually serving as Deputy Director in the Punjab Zone from 2014 to 2021. During this period, he represented the FIA at national forums shaping the country's cyber law landscape, including a Round Table Conference on the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA 2016) at the Shaikh Ahmad Hassan School of Law, and a Pakistan Electronic Crimes Bill conference documented by the digital rights group Bolo Bhi. He also spoke publicly, including at the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore, warning of the rising tide of IT-enabled crime and the need for closer cooperation between the public and law enforcement.

In January 2019, he was elevated to Additional Director, a position he has held since, including leading the FIA's Anti-Corruption Wing, where he was responsible for investigations involving federal government officers, public institutions, and corruption in public procurement. He has also served as Director of FIA Faisalabad and Director of the Punjab Zone.

Beyond the badge, his time in Canada included volunteer work with the Burnaby Association for Community Inclusion, supporting people with developmental disabilities, a detail that says as much about his character as his case file does about his competence.

As he steps back from full-time service, he is turning that experience outward: mentoring the next generation of CSS and PPSC aspirants, training institutions on cybercrime and PECA compliance, and advising organizations on anti-corruption matters and forensic investigation. His advisory work has also grown alongside the technology he once investigated, now extending into the digital economy, blockchain, and cryptocurrency regulation, in addition to hands-on expertise across multiple domains of cybercrime.

His work has also extended beyond Pakistan's borders. As an independent contractor, he has supported foreign embassies and missions on cybercrime case investigation, field operations, and cross-border cases, and provides consultation on international matters where digital crime, law enforcement, and diplomacy intersect.