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At meet with IPS probationers, PM Modi says ensure negative image changes
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his "Nation first, always first" mantra to the IPS trainees and said that they should always prioritise India's interests, no matter how local their issues might normally be.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers they are on a 25-year "special mission" to make policing in the country socially responsible so that an accountable framework is laid by the time India celebrates 100 years of Independence in 2047.
Highlighting that there is a "negative connotation" associated with the police force in India, Prime Minister Modi said that officials should work hard to improve the image. "This perception changed temporarily when the Covid-19 crisis first arrived," the Prime Minister said while virtually interacting with the IPS probationers at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. "But things are back to where they were once again," he said.
As an example, Prime Minister Modi pointed out to the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and said that much trust is associated with the personnel involved in rescue and relief operations. The police should strive to improve its public image, too, he said, especially since the country is currently going through one of the most significant phases in its history.
"Over the past 75 years, India has strived to improve police training," PM Modi said. "Now we can look forward to laying out a better framework for the same in the future."
Announcing his schedule a day prior, the Prime Minister had expressed his confidence in the academy probationers, saying that they will go on to hold important police responsibilities in the years to come.
The Prime Minister reiterated his "Nation first, always first" mantra to the IPS trainees and said that they should always prioritise India's interests, no matter how local their issues might normally be. He said that to establish a responsible policing framework, the officials will have to confront decades of malpractice and conventional customs every single day during work.
"Whether you will change the 'system' or it will change you depends on your mindset," Prime Minister Narendra Modi remarked. "In many ways, this will be yet another test laid out before you."
The IPS trainees, already allocated to cadres across the country, shared their experiences with the Prime Minister regarding their journey in the police academy.
Prime Minister Modi asked many of the IPS probationers regarding their hobbies and how they hoped to tackle the security situation in areas that will eventually be under their jurisdiction using their unique personality traits and experience that they brought with their backgrounds before joining the academy.
