Make police force citizen friendly, approachable: PM tells IPS probationers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday asked Indian Police Service probationers to understand what the common man feels about the police force and try to make it citizen-friendly and approachable.

Interacting with 126 IPS probationers of 2018 batch, who called on him here, Modi also enthused the young officers to work tirelessly with dedication for the betterment of the country, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.

"The prime minister asked the officers to imbibe service orientation and dedication in their day-to-day work. He stressed on the importance for the police force to be connected with ordinary citizens," the statement quoted Modi as saying.

He said each officer should understand perspective of the citizens about the police force and work towards making it citizen-friendly and approachable.

During the interactive session, Modi said that the role of police should be focussed on crime prevention and highlighted the importance of technology in creating a modern police force.

He also discussed about the role of police in transforming aspirational districts and as instruments of social change.

The aspirational districts programme was launched in early 2018 and it identifies 115 out of 172 most backward districts of the country to give a fresh push for development there.

Modi also lauded the large number of women probationers in the 2018 batch. More number of women in police force will have a huge positive impact in policing as well as nation building, he felt.

Asking the officers to believe in themselves, he said self-confidence and inherent strength along with the official training will equip them to deal with day-to-day challenges.