No tolerance towards digital offences: Naidu

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed the police to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards political crimes, digital offences, obscene social media posts and crimes against women, while calling for stricter and more effective policing to deal with the changing nature of crime

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday directed the police to adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards political crimes, digital offences, obscene social media posts and crimes against women, while calling for stricter and more effective policing to deal with the changing nature of crime.

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Addressing a video conference with nearly 1,650 police officers, ranging from the Director General of Police (DGP) to Station House Officers (SHOs) from around 1,200 police stations across the state, Naidu said political affiliations should not be allowed to shield criminals or encourage anti-social activities.

He specifically questioned the motorcycle stunts reportedly performed on public roads during a political party rally at Ibrahimpatnam and said no political party should be permitted to conduct such activities at the cost of public safety. He also pointed to instances in which police personnel had allegedly come under attack.

The chief minister said political parties had a responsibility to ensure that their programmes did not inconvenience the public. While condolence visits or meeting affected families were legitimate activities, he said, demonstrations that block public roads for prolonged periods could cause serious hardship to citizens.

Citing an incident in Visakhapatnam in which roads were reportedly blocked for nearly three hours, Naidu said such disruptions could create difficulties for ambulances transporting patients to hospitals as well as people travelling to work.

He warned that even a minor lapse in maintaining law and order could have consequences for the entire police system. Referring to incidents involving deaths and accidents that had subsequently resulted in counter-allegations against police personnel who had attempted to save lives, he stressed the need for greater professionalism and vigilance.

Naidu said the nature of crime was changing rapidly, with digital crimes, “digital arrests”, obscene online campaigns and personal abuse emerging as major challenges. He directed the police to make greater use of technology in crime prevention and investigation.

He said cognizable crimes had declined by 14% over the past two years, but stressed that the police could not afford to be complacent. Technology, he said, was being used both by law-enforcement agencies to detect criminals and by offenders to commit new forms of crime.

The chief minister said 14,770 CCTV cameras installed by the government across the state had been integrated with privately installed cameras, creating a network of around one lakh cameras. Facial recognition systems and DNA-based technologies were also increasingly being used in investigations, he said.

“If police officers effectively implement technology, knowledge and best practices, law and order can be brought under control,” Naidu said.

He called for the implementation of the “Invisible Police, Visible Policing” approach and said the police must win the trust of the people through effective and friendly policing. At the same time, the police should command respect among citizens and instil fear among anti-social elements.

Naidu alleged that some individuals were encouraging ganja users and “blade gangs” under the guise of political affiliations. He said disturbances that were earlier allegedly fuelled by alcohol were increasingly being associated with ganja use.

He also expressed concern over the manner in which some rowdies and criminals were being portrayed as heroes on social media. He called for a wider social discussion on crimes committed by individuals with serious behavioural and mental issues and stressed the need to prevent social media platforms from glorifying criminal behaviour.

The chief minister said the government was working towards establishing a national-level organisation aimed at creating a drug-free and ganja-free society. He directed officials to take the anti-drugs campaign to a wider audience as part of efforts to prevent drug and ganja abuse.

Naidu reiterated that there should be zero tolerance towards crimes against women. He also directed the police to pay special attention to obscene campaigns, personal abuse and other objectionable content circulating on social media.

“When the conviction rate increases, crime comes down,” he said, emphasising the importance of effective investigation and prosecution. He asked the police to take successful investigations and achievements in important cases to the public so that people were aware of the department’s performance.

He said the coalition government would provide the police with complete freedom to perform their duties and take measures to enhance the dignity and respect of police personnel.

Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta and other senior police officials participated in the meeting.