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Shah calls for tech upgrade at key meeting of top cops
The discussions were held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and national security adviser Ajit Doval.
India’s top police and intelligence brass on Friday began annual deliberations on a host of internal and external security issues, with a focus on cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), deepfakes, security at India’s borders, unauthorised people staying in the country, and a road map for the implementation of three new criminal codes, people familiar with the matter said.
The discussions were held in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and national security adviser Ajit Doval.
Inaugurating the three-day director generals of police (DGPs)/inspector generals of police (IGPs) conference at the Rajasthan International Centre in Jaipur, Shah asked the chiefs to train officers from SHO (station house officer) rank to DGP level and upgrade the technology from police stations to police headquarters for the successful implementation of the three criminal laws.
The government plans to notify the laws – Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita to replace the Indian Penal Code, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to replace the Code of Criminal Procedure, and Bharatiya Suraksha to replace the Evidence Act – by Republic Day, and implement them across the country in phases by the year-end.
The home minister highlighted that 2023 marked the start of “Amrit Kaal” (25-year period leading to 100 years of Independence in 2047) and stressed on two important developments during this period – the formulation of the New Education Policy (NEP), and the enactment of three new criminal laws, replacing British era laws – according to a statement by the ministry of home affairs.
Shah, the ministry said, mentioned that the new laws are focused on the delivery of justice instead of punishment, and that their implementation will transform the criminal justice system as a modern and scientific one.
He stressed on the need to train police “from SHO to DGP level and technology upgradation from Thana to PHQ level for the successful implementation of new laws”, the ministry added. He also spoke on the need to link databases and adopt an AI-driven analytical approach for tackling emerging security challenges, it said.
Organised by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) annually, the DGPs/IGPs conference has become a catalyst for Modi government’s national security policy for past 10 years. Since 2014, Modi has attended each conference, brainstorming with the chiefs to come up with ideas to tackle challenges ranging from insurgency to radicalisation of youth to modernising the security establishment. Acknowledging this, Shah said that “this conference over the years has emerged as a ‘think-tank’, facilitating decision-making and formulation of new security strategies”.
He pointed to the overall improvement in the security scenario in the country since 2014, especially the reduction of violence in the three critical hot spots – Jammu & Kashmir, the North-East, and Left-wing extremism in some states. “He emphasised on uniformity of structures, size and skill of counter terror mechanisms across the country,” the statement said.
Sharing details of discussions, officials who didn’t want to be named, said three broad topics – emerging challenges in border management and the role of police and interagency coordination; measures to check fraudulent identity documents; and development of a futuristic prison infrastructure – came up on Friday.
The officials said that, like every year, progress on previous year’s conference’s agenda items will also form part of discussions from January 5 to 7.
An officer said that DGPs of states were directed to sensitise district police officers in their jurisdiction about problem of overstaying foreigners, besides the creation of a database of foreigners staying illegally in the country.
“The states have also been told to identify individuals or groups that provide support to overstaying foreigners, and review voter lists to see if such people have obtained Indian identity cards,” the officer said.
The DGPs were also asked to ensure that hotels routinely fill C-forms – a mandatory foreigners’ registration form.
On the cybersecurity front, the meeting will discuss the threat from China-backed entities to cripple India’s critical infrastructure, officers said. The status of a scheme launched by the home ministry to have cyber commandos in every district to counter cyberthreats will also be taken up, they added.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had said in a release on Thursday that the conference will discuss “wide range of policing and internal security issues, including cybercrime, technology in policing, counterterrorism challenges, left-wing extremism, prison reforms, among others”.
A crackdown on pro-Khalistan elements (PKEs) and gangsters operating from foreign soil, extradition of wanted persons, and leveraging technology to locate organised crime syndicates and cyber criminals is also going to be discussed, said one of the officials cited above.
