Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM's address to IPS Probationers

"I am very happy to have this opportunity to meet you. I have still memories of my visit to your academy fresh in my mind and last year when I went to Hyderabad I did get a glimpse of the type of training that you receive, the arduous work that you put in. I am confident that in you we have men and women who can rise to the occasion in the service of our nation in the chosen field that you are now entering.

Ours is a country, which is undergoing rapid transformation. Removal of mass poverty through sustained social and economic growth is the prime concern of our polity so that within a reasonable period of time we can soften the harsh edges of extreme poverty. Development however is never a smooth process. There are some people who gain in the process of development, there are some who loose and the task of heading viable polity is to contain the tensions that arise in processes of social and economic change bring about some disruptive features which are inherent in the processes of modernization and although we all seek rapid economic development, development cannot take place in political and social vacuum.

Law and order is the primary base on which civilized societies can function. If there is no stable law and order enforcement, the elementary functions of any market economy that is enforcement of contracts cannot take place. And therefore, great importance attaches to how our internal security organizations function, the dedication, the commitment, their knowledge with which they tackle the task for law and order enforcement is of the greatest concern to the success of this vast gigantic country moving ahead fast enough on the road to rapid social and economic development. And I am very happy to note that more and more women are now joining the police services. We have to understand the problems of disadvantaged sections of our communities be they dalits, be they scheduled tribes, be they women because we cannot have peace and security if large segments of our population are untouched by processes of change or our law enforcement agencies do not have adequate grip over what troubles these disadvantaged sections of our society and that is where I feel that in particular fields that you are dealing with, it is very important that our intelligence setup must be among the very best.

Information technologies, communication technologies to the extent that they can be used, there must be optimum use. And I would also like to say that we are now in an age where knowledge is advancing at a very rapid pace. So we cannot assume that what you have learnt today will stand you in good strength through out your life. I think in the fast changing world where knowledge is increasing at a phenomenal pace, constant learning and relearning is the road to success. Therefore, I would like you to imbibe in your career that life is one long process of learning and relearning. This is what I would say I have learnt in my life. As I get old I find there are limits to what I can imbibe afresh but at your age when you are beginning your careers I think you must have a zest for knowledge and that should be a strong motivating factor for all our national services and more so the police services. And I was saying that processes of development are never free of tensions. Some segment of society gains and some segments of society loose and there are always tensions. Therefore, I think the sociology of development, the economics of development, the political management and the processes of governance which we must handle with tact and care. These are also areas which you both in your capacity as police officers and also as concerned citizens must pay attention to every day.

We are today passing through difficult times. There are new crimes. The criminals are becoming more sophisticated. Cyber crimes, white-collar crimes and these would probably grow as our economy becomes more urbanized. There are tensions which arise in the processes of urbanization. We must understand that and how can our police forces acquire an image that they are the friend, guide and philosopher for our citizens that honest citizens can look upto any policeman on the beat as their friend. When I was a student some fifty years ago in the United Kingdom, the British policemen I was told had that reputation and I think we cannot be satisfied with anything less than that so our police forces performing their duties with dedication, with commitment without fear without favour at the same time must make every effort to acquire a people friendly image.

Over the years the administration of law and justice has experienced many tensions. There are problems created by terrorist elements, there are problems created by naxalite elements. These are of course tensions which have to be dealt with. Law enforcement, law and order enforcement must never be lost sight of. But there are also social and economic dimensions of the underlying discontent which sometimes drives people to unconstitutional paths and therefore this also must not be lost sight of. And as police officers you have certain advantages in creating a right atmosphere for social change to take place. I recall one of our great Cabinet Secretaries Mr. Shivraman who was once the Chief Secretary of Orissa and he narrated to us an instance where the whole country was trying to introduce the new miracle seeds, the new paddy seeds in the wake of the first flush of the Green Revolution and Mr. Shivraman said some innovative police officers came to him and they said well we should be given the responsibility to take this message that what is involved in these new seeds, what they can do to transform the life of the farmers and he said but you are dealing only with law and order machinery , how will you be able to carry conviction. Isn't this the work of extension workers and all those associated with agricultural development to which these clever police officers said, we have a day to day contact with the ordinary people which very few other agencies have. Therefore if we enjoy their confidence. First of all if we take the message that police is as much interested in people's development that will create lot more goodwill and at the same time when we speak to the people, we speak with authority, we speak with respect and the point that I wish to make is that you must look upon public administration as an integrated whole. There are areas of specialization in your own areas you must perform on the frontiers of knowledge but the inter-disciplinary aspect of the lives of our people must not be lost sight of.

It goes without saying that our country expects utmost integrity from our public services. You and I are both privileged that we have this great experience and great opportunity of serving our people. And the service of India means the service of teeming millions who suffer in silence and if each one of us can wipe off some tears from the eyes of this suffering mass of Indian people, I think you would have felt that this is a life well spent. I therefore urge you that in your dealing with the people of India you must deal firmly with criminals, those who are out to disrupt our societies. There can be no compromise with those who want to take the law into their own hand but at the same time for ordinary citizens, the law abiding citizens you must be full of compassion. You must ensure that our citizens are abled and helped through our public administration to lead a life of dignity and self-respect that no honest citizen should ever have any sense of fear from our various organs of public administration and since the police force comes in touch with the people so frequently, so intimately, I think your conduct, your behavior will be a mirror image of what people think of our public administration.

These are some of the things, nothing new, but I thought from my own experience these are the values which I believe our services must imbibe and I congratulate you for the training that you have received. I sincerely hope that this training has equipped you to perform your duties with aplomb. I wish you all success in the service of our people".