Bhubaneswar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday addressed the 59th All India Conference of Directors General of Police (DGP)s and gave them the Mantra of Smart Police.
During the inaugural session, the Prime Minister distributed the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service to the senior police officers. In his valedictory address, the Prime Minister noted that the conference had extensive discussions on national and international aspects of security challenges. He expressed satisfaction over the coping strategy that emerged out of the discussions at the conference.
In his address, the Prime Minister expressed concern over the potential threat posed by digital frauds, cyber crime and Artificial Intelligence or AI technology, especially the use of duplicates or deep-fakes to disrupt social and family ties . He called upon the police leadership to use the country’s twin strengts: Artificial Intelligence and ‘Aspirational India’ to turn this challenge into an opportunity.
He further expounded the Mantra of Smart Police Administration and urged the police to be strategic, sincere, friendly, reliable and transparent. Appreciating the initiatives taken in the urban policing system, PM suggested that every step should be fully implemented in 100 cities of the country. He called for the use of technology to reduce the workload of the police force and suggested that the police stations should be made the focal point for policing.
The Prime Minister recalled the unparalleled contribution of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to the Ministry of Home Affairs. Shri Modi called for paying homage to him on his 150th birth anniversary next year in the entire security establishment from the Ministry of Home Affairs to the police station level. He said that if targets are set and achieved for improving the image of the police, professionalism and capacity building, then a fitting tribute can be paid to Sardar Patel. He called upon the police force to modernise and restructure themselves with the vision of a ‘Developed India’.
The conference had in-depth discussions on current and future challenges related to national security, including counter-terrorism, left-wing extremism, cyber crime, financial security, migration, coastal security and drug trafficking. There was also a discussion on the security problems arising out of the borders of Bangladesh and Myanmar, the trend of urban police and strategies to deal with the creation of malicious rumours.
It also reviewed the implementation, measures and best practices in the police as well as the security situation in the neighbourhood. The Prime Minister presented valuable vision during the Conference for preparation of a road map for the future.
Union Home Minister, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, National Security Advisor, Minister of State for Home affairs and Union Home Secretary were also present at the conference.
The conference, which was held in hybrid format, was attended by the Director Generals of Police/Inspectors of all states/UTs and heads of CAPFs/CPOs in person. Apart from this, more than 750 officers of various senior ranks from all the States/UTs attended the conference through virtual mode.