President Murmu stresses effective policing to invite investment for Viksit Bharat

New Delhi, Oct 27 (IANS) President Droupadi Murmu said on Monday that effective policing is as important as economic incentives in promoting growth, as law and order is a necessary pre-condition for attracting investment in any state or region.

Addressing probationers of the Indian Police Service 77 RR (2024 batch) at Rashtrapati Bhavan, Murmu said a future-ready police force led by young officers will play a major role in the making of Viksit Bharat.

The President also emphasised that technology has significantly transformed the realm of policing.

“Just about ten years ago, the expression ‘digital arrest’ would have been impossible to understand. Today, it is one of the most dreaded threats to citizens. India has one of the largest and fastest-growing AI user bases. This is going to impact policing also,” she said.

Murmu said that IPS officers should remain several steps ahead in adopting new technologies, including AI, compared to those who will use these technologies with wrongful intent.

“It is heartening to note that there are 62 lady officer trainees in this batch of 174 probationers. With nearly 36 per cent, that is well over one-third, your batch has the highest gender representation so far. I am sure that representation of lady IPS officers will only get larger,” she said.

The President said that young officers occupying positions of power and authority should keep in mind that with authority comes accountability.

She stated that their actions and conduct will always be under public scrutiny, so they should remember to choose what is ethical and not what is expedient.

She emphasised that moral authority would earn them everyone’s respect and trust.

The President said that a police officer deals with crime and criminals almost all the time. This may have a desensitising effect on them and blunt their humaneness.

She urged officers that in the course of becoming an effective officer, they should make a special effort to keep their own compassionate core intact.

Emphasising the need for cultural de-colonisation in policing, she said, “The culture of Indian policing would mean maintaining the spirit of service, sensitivity and sympathy, especially for the vulnerable segments of society. People, especially the marginalised, should look at the police as a source of support and not as a fearsome entity.”

--IANS

rch/dan