National security advisor Ajit Doval calls for better technology to improve policing

National security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, on Thursday, reiterated the role of the police force in strengthening democracy and law enforcement and stated that law

National security adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval, on Thursday, reiterated the role of the police force in strengthening democracy and law enforcement and stated that law was only as good as it was executed on the ground.

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“Law-making is the most sacrosanct job in a democracy. Legislature makes the law and the police enforce it. You are the enforcers of that law. If you fail, democracy fails,” said NSA, addressing police officers at the ‘3rd Young Superintendents of Police Conference’ and Police Expo-2020, organised by Haryana Police, Bureau of Police Research and Development and trade body FICCI in Sector 44.

The NSA called for inducting technologies that percolate to the grass-roots level and helps police in their daily working. “How can we make our police stations more tech-savvy where a beat constable can have the gadgets, by which he can find out if a vehicle is stolen or has fake registration?” he asked.

Doval, who joined the Indian Police Service(IPS) in 1968 from Kerala cadre, called on the police officers to create the right ‘perception’ of police force among the public by leveraging technology but warned that it should be credible and based on truth.

“People will take one stray aberration of a policeman having done something and then that will be the headline. It is the perception that provides confidence to the people and enhances their trust. It makes their life psychologically more secure if they feel they have a police force that is alert, efficient, honest, objective, professionally competent and friendly,” he said.

Referring to a statement from a speech made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Doval, said, “If even one good deed is done in a police station area in a month, whether in flood control, disaster preparedness, crime, with social media, the message can go the people. But it must remain credible and should not be propagandist in nature.”

Doval said that the integration of technology was more important than knowledge of technology.“ Technology is a great enabler,” he said.

The NSA also spoke about bringing about a ‘societal change’ towards policing in the mindset of people and if technology could be use to facilitate that change faster.

“A form of resistance leads to police vehicles being lit on fire. The day the society starts realising that police vehicles are not the property of the police and they are being paid for by taxes paid by the people, the mindset will change, although it will take time,” he said.