Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the top police officers of the country to explore whether social media influencers can be engaged to disseminate information in public interest, according to a senior government official.
While addressing the three-day annual Director General of Police (DGP) conference in Jaipur, Mr. Modi said that there was a need to use social media effectively. He also called for the training of police officials in handling cyber-related crimes and the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
A press statement said that the Prime Minister underscored the need to reinforce the positive image of the police among citizens. He advised the use of social media at the police station level to disseminate positive information and messages for the benefit of citizens. He also suggested using social media to spread advance information on natural calamities and disaster relief.
Citizen connect
“He also suggested organising various sports events as a way to strengthen citizen-police connect. He also urged the government officials to stay in border villages to establish better ‘connect’ with local populace as these border villages were the ‘first villages’ of India,” the statement said.
The Prime Minister discussed the enactment of the three new criminal laws at the conference, adding that it was a paradigm shift in the criminal justice system. He emphasised that the new criminal laws had been framed with the spirit of ‘Citizen First, Dignity First and Justice First’. Instead of working with a ‘danda’ (police baton), the police must now work with ‘data’, he said.
Mr. Modi urged the police chiefs to think imaginatively to convey the emotional spirit behind the newly enacted laws to the different sections of society, laying special focus on sensitising women and girls about the rights and protections provided to them under the new laws. He asked the police to focus on women’s safety by ensuring that women could work fearlessly ‘kabhi bhi aur kahin bhi’ (anywhere anytime).
Rescue efforts
The 58th police conference, inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 5, concluded on Sunday. The event was organised by the Intelligence Bureau.
During the event, the Prime minister held detailed discussions with senior police officers on subjects such as human trafficking, security of borders, cyber-threats, radicalisation, fraudulent issuance of identity documents, and the threats emerging from AI.
In his closing address on Sunday, Mr. Modi applauded the efforts of the Indian Navy’s efforts in rescuing 21 people, including 15 Indians, from a merchant vessel in the Arabian Sea. “After receiving a distress call from the vessel, the Indian Navy and the marine commandos swung into action and rescued the people, 2,000 (nautical) miles from Indian shores. You must have watched the video. Indian employees chanted Bharat Mata ki Jai after being rescued,” he said.
PM praises Aditya-L1 placement
He also mentioned the successful placement of the Aditya-L1 spacecraft in a halo orbit around the Lagrangian point (L1). “India’s L1 satellite, after travelling a distance of 15 lakh kilometres from earth, has reached its destination at the designated time. This is a spot where Aditya L1 will only face the sun, there will be no shadow of the earth or moon over it. This will make scientific investigation by Aditya L1 easy. Just like the exemplary success of Chandrayaan, this is a representation of the capability and strength of India and its scientists,” the Prime Minister added.
A presentation was also made on tribal affairs by Rajasthan DGP U.R Sahu. Detailed presentations were made on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), Khalistani terrorism, and the security of critical nuclear installations.
The conference was held in hybrid mode with DGPs, IGPs, and the chiefs of central police organisations attending the three-day event in Jaipur, while over 500 police officers of various ranks participated via video conferencing from across the country.
