PM stresses role of effective policing to make women feel safe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday underlined the role of effective policing in ensuring that women feel safe and secure.

His remarks came against the backdrop of recent cases of crimes against women which has triggered a public outcry.

Addressing a DGP/IGP conference at Pune, the prime minister also said that officials must at all times 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 prime minister 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 said.

Modi expressed his special interest for 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.

As per the statement, eleven core groups were formed in this year 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 etc.

Commending the conference for generating good inputs for policy planning and implementation, the PM laid emphasis on the emergence of concrete outcomes from the finalised action points, it said.

Theprime minister also appreciated the meticulous efforts made by the police forces for maintaining general peace and tranquility in the country and ensuring normalcy.

He also urged the heads of police departments to carry forward the spirit of the conference to the lowest level- from state to district to the police station (thana), it said.

After listening to the presentations given by different state police forces, the PM mentioned that a comprehensive list of best practices could be prepared and adopted by all the states and UTs.

The PM later said in a tweet: "The 54th DGP/IGP Conference was a fruitful one. The discussions were extensive, comprehensive and covered many aspects. This time, there were break-out sessions which enabled more focused deliberations on specific topics".

"During the DGP/IGP Conference, emphasised on regular sharing of best practices to make policing more effective. Also reiterated the need to use latest technology, which can help improve the law and order situation," he said in another tweet.

"Our Government is leaving no stone unturned to develop the Northeast. In this context, urged top police officials from the Northeast to keep playing an effective role that furthers the transformation of the entire region," he added.