Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has urged the police to exercise caution against provocative attempts being made by certain quarters to foment unrest.
Inaugurating a public meeting organised in connection with the 36th State conference of the Kerala Police Association (KPA) at Nagaroor, near here, on Saturday, Mr. Vijayan exhorted the police to be mindful of orchestrated ploys aimed at projecting a false picture of lawlessness in the State. He stressed the need to equip the police intelligence system with tools that were necessary in anticipating new-age threats in various avenues.
While he claimed there were no significant lapses in the intelligence mechanism in the State, Mr. Vijayan cited the recent political crisis in Maharashtra that resulted in Uddhav Thackeray’s resignation as Chief Minister. The intelligence system failed there to foresee the political upheaval even while several MLAs who supported the government were herded to another State.
The Chief Minister issued a stern warning to police officers who misused their authority and brought shame to the entire force. While the government would back even those who went beyond their brief to undertake their responsibilities, there would be no leniency for people who violated norms for their personal interests.
The police force have been witnessing a wave of modernisation that has coincided with the adoption of a professional approach in their functioning. While several new inductees in the force possess high qualifications in various disciplines, the police have ventured into uncharted territories to remain in tune with evolving threats.
The Kerala Police have become the first police force to venture into drone manufacturing in public-private partnership mode. The ongoing academic collaboration with the Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) was bound to enhance efficiency of the force, Mr. Vijayan said.
O.S. Ambika, MLA, State Police Chief Anil Kant, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) K. Padmakumar, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Vijay S. Sakhare, District Police Chief (Thiruvananthapuram Rural) Divya V. Gopinath, KPA president S.R. Shinodas and general secretary K.P. Praveen participated.
