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PM Modi pitches for high-power technology for grassroot policing
PM Modi pitched for setting up of a high-power police technology mission, under the leadership of the Union home minister Amit Shah, to adopt future technologies for grassroot policing requirements
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday appreciated the positive change in police attitude towards the public, particularly post Covid, at a conference of director generals of police (DGP) and inspector generals of police (IGP) in Lucknow, officials said.
The Prime Minister also pitched for setting up of a high-power police technology mission, under the leadership of the Union home minister Amit Shah, to adopt future technologies for grassroot policing requirements.
Modi was addressing the valedictory session of the three-day conference at the UP Police headquarters here when he made the suggestions, an official statement said. The event was inaugurated by Shah on Friday.
“Took part in the DGP/IGP conference in Lucknow. This is an important forum in which we are having extensive deliberations on modernisation of our police set-up,” Modi tweeted.
At the event, Modi sought an analysis of all police-related incidents and developing case studies to make it an institutionalised learning mechanism. He further hailed the hybrid format of the conference as it allowed a free flow of information between various ranks, the statement said.
It added that Modi suggested involving highly qualified youth to look for technological solutions, through hackathon, to tackle some of the routine challenges faced by the police.
The Prime Minister suggested the development of inter-operable technologies which would benefit police forces across the country.
Citing the importance of technology in the lives of the general public, Modi gave examples of CoWIN, the online platform for Covid-19 vaccination, the GeM, the government e-market place and UPI, the instant real-time payment system.
He also suggested a positive use of drone technology for the benefit of the people and stressed on a review of the SMART policing concept introduced in 2014. He suggested the development of a roadmap for its continuous transformation and institutionalisation of the same concept in police forces, the statement said.
Violence perpetrated by Maoists, action against terror modules and cyber crime were some of the issues that figured prominently for discussion at the event.
The Prime Minister sat through the deliberations in the entire session on Saturday. The conference was attended by 62 DGPs/IGPs of states/Union territories and DGs of CAPFs (central armed police forces)/central police organisations (CPOs).
Over 400 officers of various ranks attended the conference virtually from Intelligence Bureau (IB) offices across the country. The Prime Minister also awarded the President’s Police Medal for distinguished service to IB personnel.
In the run-up to the conference, various core groups of DGPs were formed for holding discussions on key aspects of national security such as prison reforms, terrorism, left-wing extremism, cyber-crimes, narcotics trafficking, foreign funding of NGOs, drone-related matters and development of border villages.
For the first time, as per the directives of the Prime Minister, Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from various states submitted articles on contemporary security issues, which added more value to the conference.
On Friday, Shah awarded trophies to three best police stations of the country. He also participated in all the discussions and offered his suggestions.
