States urged to wake up to terror threats

Home Minister Patil tries to wake up states to the new challenges of policing saying they could not afford to lag behind, reports A Tikku.

"Terrorists and criminals are playing smart and are capable of using technology to their advantage,” Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil said on Wednesday. He was trying to wake up states to the new challenges of policing and cautioning them that they could not afford to lag behind.

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Patil’s stern reminder comes in the wake of refusal by many states to recognise the warning signs and continuing reluctance to invest money and manpower into policing and generating actionable intelligence.

“It is becoming obvious that more sophisticated weapons and devices may be used by terrorists. They are likely to use modern technologies in carrying out terrorist activities. Religious places can be attacked. The police may become their targets. Politicians and other important persons may also be targeted,” he said at the inauguration of the three-day conference of police chiefs.

“Sleeper cells may be found in mega cities. They can become active when needed by them. Fake currency may be used to fund terrorism,” the home minister said.

Patil referred to the low priority that policing receives during allocation of funds and warned that states could not expect entrepreneurs to invest without giving them a sense of security. “Development needs security,” he said.