Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM stresses on effective streamlining of security systems

The Prime Minister has said that the recent events at Mumbai have created a new consensus to strengthen India's security setup. Dr. Manmohan Singh said that this challenge can be converted in an opportunity to make the internal security set up more effective by streamlining the systems involving intelligence collection, investigation and crime. Paying homage to the police men who made the supreme sacrifice to protect the country's integrity, he said that the people of India owe a debt of gratitude to the police forces. The Prime Minister was addressing IPS Officers of the 2007 batch who called on him last evening.

Calling for introspection by the young officers the Prime Minister said that poverty can be overcome through the framework of the rapidly expanding economy by inclusion of all sections of the people particularly the Scheduled Castes / Scheduled Tribes and Women in the development process. He exhorted the law enforcement forces to create an environment for them to be active partners in development. Dr. Manmohan Singh described internal and external security as the twin pillars which support the environment that can carry forward the pace of development and remove poverty, ignorance and disease. He said that it is in this context that we have to look at the instrument of law enforcement.

The Prime Minister identified terrorism, naxalism and insurgency in the North East as the underlying reasons which impaire the pace of development. If the gains of progress are not equitably distributed, it leads to tension in the body politic and this discontent spills over in over into law and order problems he added. It is, therefore, the duty of the state to ensure that the fruits of development are equitable. Here the instrument of law and order are critical to ensuring an enabling environment and the challenge lies in ensuring development by providing security.

Further elaborating on this issue the Prime Minister identified growing urbanization as a critical area within which if the grains of industrialization are not equitable, organized crime takes root. To address the problems in metropolitan areas the police officers must have a sound knowledge and understanding of the rural environment. In this context, the Prime Minister called for a holistic approach to maintaining law and order.

The Prime Minister identified low police population ratio in the country as another area that required focused attention. He said that crime against women, older citizens and child abuse are growing problems, therefore, it was imperative for the police set up to be more aware of their social responsibilities. The Prime Minister also identified technology as a key contributor to the enhancement of skills to effectively meet the challenges of terror attacks. This must be combined with a better understanding of human, scientific and human behaviour and the underlying social and economic conditions of the population. It is with this combined knowledge that the police can be equal to the challenges it faces.

Concluding his address, the Prime Minister said that instruments of civil defence must be strengthened so that the community can be a partner in the quest for a better and peaceful social environment.

The IPS batch of 2007 also described as a diamond jubilee batch since they were inducted in the 60th year of Independence has 87 officers 14 of whom are women officers.