Prime Minister calls for SMART police force

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for the creation of a 'SMART' police force, where the police would be strict but sensitive; modern and mobile; alert and accountable; reliable and responsive; techno-savvy and trained. Modi was addressing the All India Conference of Directors General/Inspectors General of Police in the city. He arrived in Guwahati on Saturday for this three-day maiden Northeast visit.

"By SMART policing, I mean S for strict but sensitive, M for modern and mobile, A for alert and accountable, R for reliable and responsive and T for techno-savvy and trained," Modi said. The PM called for a task force to suggest ways to institutionalise the memory of the 33,000 martyred police personnel, who had laid down their lives in line of duty since independence. "The sacrifices of these police personnel should not go in vain," said Modi.

Speaking at the inaugural session of the conference on Saturday, Union home minister Rajnath Singh had said the government would not allow any terrorist organisation in the world to get foothold in India. "Certain misguided youth in the country get attracted to organisations like ISIS, but the government is committed to checking it," Singh had said.

Singh expressed concern over the ethnic and socio-economic conflicts in the North eastern region. He also lamented at the lack of development and quality infrastructure in the region and said that the government was committed to boosting infrastructure in the region. The home minister mentioned a terrorist network had been exposed in West Bengal and the state police and National Investigation Agency were playing an important role in exposing the network.

Modi later addressed a huge gathering of Bharatiya Janata Party workers in Guwahati and soon left for Imphal. In Manipur, he would take part in the closing ceremony of the Sangai Festival and also lay the foundation stone for a sports university to be set up by the Centre. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to visit Nagaland on December 1, where he would inaugurate the state's biggest festival - the Hornbill Festival.