Policing only effective when women feel safe: PM Modi at DG, IG conference in Pune
PM Modi was speaking at 54th conference of police top brass, organised at IISER, Pashan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday stressed on effective policing to ensure that women feel safe and secure in the country. His remarks came against the backdrop of recent cases of crimes against women, which has triggered a public outcry.
The prime minister was speaking at the 54th Director General of Police (DGP) / Inspector General of Police (IG) conference that was being held from December 6-8 at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pashan.
Addressing the conference, PM Modi said officials must strive to improve the image of the police force to inspire confidence among all sections of society, including women and children. A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said that PM Modi was of the view that technology provides an effective weapon to ensure proactive policing that factors in the feedback of the common man.
According to the statement, the PM recognised the pulls and pressures confronting police officers in their day-to-day discharge of duties. However, he said, “Whenever they are in doubt, they should remember the ideals and the spirit with which they appeared for the civil services exams and continue to work in national interest, keeping in mind the welfare of the weakest and poorest sections of society,” the statement read.
Apart from leading the discussions and giving valuable suggestions, he addressed the valedictory session of the conference on Sunday evening. The prime minister also awarded the President’s police medals for distinguished service to officers of the Intelligence Bureau.
PM Modi expressed his special interest in the development of the northeastern states which is critical for the government’s Act East Policy and urged the DGPs of these states to make extra efforts to create a conducive environment for the development programmes.
With the guidance of the prime minister, in order to encourage meaningful exchange of views and experiences, the conference, which earlier used to be a one-day event, was changed to a three-day affair starting from 2015. Moreover, the conference was taken out of Delhi and organised in different parts of the country. The format of the conference has also undergone significant changes in terms of the presence of the prime minister and the Union home minister. In the lead-up to the conference, committees of DGPs were established to formulate the contours of presentations, on contemporary security threats. Additionally, during the conference, break-out sessions were held to further refine policy issues. This year, eleven core groups were formed for holding brain storming sessions on key aspects of internal and external security such as terrorism, Naxalism, coastal security, cyber threats, combating radicalisation and narco-terrorism.
Commending the conference for generating good inputs for policy planning and implementation, PM Modi laid emphasis on emergence of concrete outcomes from the finalised action points.
PM Modi urged the heads of police departments to carry forth the spirit of the conference to the lowest level, from state to district to the police station (thana). After listening to the presentations given by different state police forces, PM Modi mentioned that a comprehensive list of best practices could be prepared and adopted by all the states and union territories.
(With agency inputs)