If we have a bad traffic on roads, who is responsible for that; if a mothers son dies in road accident who is responsible for that; it's corruption, corrupt police department, corrupt system which is responsible for that. If there is no speed control who is responsible for that; what the state government is doing in this regard. If the police department is corrupt and do not investigate a case properly, who is responsible for that. If there is heavy encroachment on national highways and public roads which is also the cause of death in road accident who is responsible for that. If there is big holes on roads who is responsible for that. Are the state governments there to make our life safe or they are there to enjoy the evil power. Who is responsible for the deaths of police men in so-called naxal attacks. Why the hell the state government is not providing them with enough ammunition. Why the state government is not adhering to all the recommendation to lessen the deaths of police men and also to minimize the violation of human rights. Why our government is so weak. Do they think they have purchased the votes with hundred rupee notes.

Violence against our women should be severely punished.

As per our Constitution, the responsibility for maintenance of public order and peace rests with the states. But, in view of the complex and ever changing nature of problems we face, states often need Central assistance in these areas. It is only through a process of continuous and meaningful interaction between the Centre and the states that problems of left-wing extremism, cross-border terrorism and religious fundamentalism can be tackled and tackled effectively. Let me reaffirm today that the Central government stands committed to assisting states in all possible ways in these areas. But, while the Centre can provide resources, guidance and information, the basic task of modernizing state police forces, inducting better equipment, improving the quality of police personnel and strengthening the infrastructure available to them requires the attention of the State Governments. Funds are not a constraint, as the thirteenth Finance Commission has recommended substantial grants and the Central government continues making its contribution to augment the resources of the states. What is needed is a recognition of this problem, focused attention on these issues and a commitment to improving the professionalism and the quality of our police forces. Ultimately, it is a police man on the ground who will deliver results and he has to be equipped and treated well to have the morale and the capacity to deal with the problems of internal security. I hope to see some useful recommendations emerging out of your deliberations on these issues.


Corruption strikes at the roots of good governance. It is an impediment to faster growth. It dilutes, if not negates, our efforts at social inclusion. It dents our international image and it demeans us before our own people. This is a challenge which has to be faced frontally, boldly and quickly. As you might be aware, we have set up a Group of Ministers to look into all measures, legal or administrative, to tackle this menace. Two bills have already been introduced in Parliament relating to judicial accountability and the protection of whistle blowers. Along with legislation, the necessary revamp of administrative practices and procedures needs to be fast-tracked. A systemic response that reduces opportunities for corruption needs to be put in place. It is now well documented that the introduction of competition, greater choice and modern technology can cut down the opportunities for corruption in a very meaningful manner. Delays, another major cause, can be addressed to a large extent by effective decentralization and delegation of power and responsibility. All these issues require your wholehearted attention and I have no doubt that if all of us work together we can bring about vast improvements in governance.

We should also make full use of technology to improve the delivery of our schemes. Technological advances, including broadband connectivity and mobile phones, provide opportunities and tools for better monitoring, improved communication and greater transparency. Unique identification numbers and the extension of the business correspondence model of commercial banks to remote areas should help in prevention of leakages and promote financial inclusion. These are tools and options at your disposal and it is up to you to use them effectively and imaginatively.

The other area is the administration’s response to the special needs and problems of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minorities, women and other vulnerable groups of our society. Speaking to Chief Ministers three days ago, I had said that it is a shame that atrocities against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes still continue in our country. I expect all Chief Secretaries to lead their administration in preventing such atrocities and ensuring punishment to the perpetrators when they do occur. I expect a similar sensitive and responsive attitude towards the issue of violence against our women.

We are aware that many police commissions have made various recommendations on police reforms. I urge the States to seriously look into this aspect

“We cannot continue to police our society with archaic laws and policing systems. We are aware that many police commissions have made various recommendations on police reforms. I urge the States to seriously look into this aspect,” he said.
“I would like the Ministry of Home Affairs to carry forward this exercise to its logical conclusion in the Union Territory of Delhi during the coming years so that Delhi Police becomes a model for other State police forces to emulate,” Prime Minister said.
“While the central and the State intelligence agencies are at work, we need to recognise a very significant fact that the best, actionable and prompt intelligence on internal security often comes from the police stations.
“But people will come forth to give information to the local policeman, only when they see him as a friend. We need to closely examine the functioning of police stations and bring forth changes to make policemen truly people friendly,” he said while inaugurating Chief Minister’s conference on internal security here.
The Prime Minister said, “We need to take three pronged action on community policing, police reforms and informed use of technology respectively to make this happen.”

He asked the Centre and the states to work together to formulate guidelines for community policing.

“Bridging the gap of mistrust that exists between the police and community will go a long way in collecting actionable intelligence. This also brings me to the idea of involving the academia and professionals, who are experts in the field of data mining and cyber security, in policing,” Dr. Singh added.

Let not criticism – sometimes justified, often unjustified -- deter or demoralise you

Chhattisgarh is going through a difficult time. In the last 8 weeks, there have been 28 major incidents of violence in this State. Many lives have been lost; many more have been injured. I offer my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and I pray for the recovery of the injured. I wish to tell the people of Chhattisgarh that, in this period of difficulty, the Central Government stands by you. We are ready and willing to render all assistance possible in order that Chhattisgarh will be able to overcome the challenges to the security of its people.

Policing a country of over 1.1 billion people is not an easy task. Policing a country in a troubled neighbourhood makes the task more difficult. And policing a country with insufficient police stations and inadequate and ill-equipped police forces makes the task almost formidable. Today, therefore, I wish to share with you some thoughts on the state of policing in India and ask you, in this Congress spread over three days, to reflect on the subject.

Let me begin with the size of the State police forces. I shall use broad and approximate numbers. According to figures given to the Central Government, the total number of sanctioned posts as on March 31, 2010, in all ranks, is about 21 lakhs. Of these, about 3,35,000 posts are vacant. Thus, the police: population ratio for the whole country is about 160 per 100,000 persons. This ratio, much lower than the international norm, conceals more than it reveals. It is an average. In a State like Bihar the number is about 75; in UP it is about 115; in Andhra Pradesh it is about 125; in Orissa it is about 135; in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, two States most affected by Left Wing Extremism, the number is about 205.

Further, the distribution of the police force among the police stations is badly skewed. First of all, there are not enough police stations. Even where there is a police station, the strength of the police force in a station is often no more than 20 persons. In some of the districts most affected by Left Wing Extremism, the police station exists only in name. I do not wish to name the States or the police stations but, believe me, there are police stations where the Station House has been blown up; there are police stations where there are no more than 8 men; and even these 8 or less men do not hold any weapons for fear of the weapons being looted. You will recall the case of Lalgarh police station in district West Midnapore in West Bengal. That police station was closed – and locked from the inside – for several months until the CRPF ‘liberated’ it.

Let me turn to the training imparted to our police forces in the States. Most States have barely sufficient capacity to impart basic training to newly recruited constables. It is not often realised that the capacity of the training institutes limits the number of constables that can be recruited in any year in that State. The result is that States are barely able to recruit the number of policemen and women necessary to fill vacancies that arise due to normal attrition – retirement, resignation, disablement or death. How will States be able to add to the net strength of their Police Forces? Unless capacity is increased manifold, States will not be able to fill the huge number of vacancies – estimated at 3,35,000 – and increase their sanctioned strength. Hence, the first order of business is to enhance the capacity of training institutes in the States to at least double the present capacity and to recruit at least double the number of policemen and women that are being recruited, at present, every year.

Even if the States do that, that would only take care of basic training. That basic training is not adequate to meet the new challenges to security such as terrorism, insurgency and Left Wing Extremism. Besides, specialised schools are necessary to train the police forces in forensic investigation, detective training, intelligence gathering, cyber crime and so on. I do not find States addressing these new and growing requirements. So far as the Central Government is concerned, in order to assist the State Governments, we have decided to set up one Central Academy for Police Training (CAPT) with a capacity to train 2,600 personnel; two Central Detective Training Schools (CDTS), each with a capacity to train 400 personnel; and twenty Counter Insurgency and Anti-Terrorist Schools (CIAT) each with a capacity to train 1,000 personnel, in a year. While CAPT and CDTS will take some time to be established, three CIAT schools are operational and twelve more are likely to be completed in the current year. You will note that all of the above adds to a total training capacity of 23,400 personnel per year, and that is hardly sufficient for a force level of nearly 21 lakhs for all the States put together. Obviously, more needs to be done, and this can be done only if the States set apart more resources for augmenting training capacity.

The Central Government had also urged the States to adopt the salient recommendations of the National Police Commission. Some of these recommendations, I may remind you, are mandatory by an order of the Supreme Court. Nevertheless, the progress is halting. Let me take three recommendations: enactment of a new Police Act based on the Model Police Act; constitution of a State Police Establishment Board and setting up a Police Complaints Board. Only twelve States have enacted a new Police Act, only fourteen States have constituted the Police Establishment Board and only ten States have set up the Police Complaints Board. I am afraid there is a long distance to go before we can say that the States have implemented the recommendations of the National Police Commission.

I shall conclude my remarks with a brief reference to technology. Technology is the best force multiplier. It also relieves police personnel from routine and repetitive chores and allows them to concentrate on tasks that require application of intelligence, analysis, forecasting and planning. Technology can be inducted quickly into functions such as surveillance, communication, data management, inventory management and personnel management. Advanced technologies are available and can be used for data collation and correlation, data mining, analysis and prediction. Towards these objectives, the Central Government is implementing, in collaboration with the State Governments, the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) project that will lay the basic framework and provide the connectivity throughout the country. NATGRID will employ advanced technology and help take the quality of policing to a higher level. And when the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) is set up, that body will also induct very advanced technologies into its processes and functions.

I am conscious of the fact that what I have stated so far is not an exposition of any subject that would qualify as a ‘science’. It may be more appropriate to describe the matters on which I have spoken as belonging to the realm of ‘commonsense’. Later today, and in the next two days, you will discuss matters relating to modernisation, counter terrorism, Left Wing Extremism, data management and future policing. I want you to know that despite criticism from every quarter – from hapless citizen to arm chair pundit, from defence lawyer to learned judge, from political parties to civil society organisations and from editorial writers to television anchors – you should be proud to wear your uniform and perform your duties. Because, when hit by a crisis or a tragedy, everyone – and I mean everyone -- turns to the police. More often than not the presence of a policeman is reassuring. More often than not the deployment of the police force restores law and order and security. More often than not the policeman turns out to be a friend and protector. And, let us remember, in a conflict situation, the person most likely to make the supreme sacrifice is a policeman. Therefore, let not criticism – sometimes justified, often unjustified -- deter or demoralise you. Your obligation is to the law. As long as you enforce the law, uphold human rights, use no more than the minimum force that is necessary, and act without fear or favour you can hold your head high as a member of the police force.

Give security forces respect: Chidambaram

Mumbai, Nov 26 (PTI) Union Home Minister P Chidambaram today said each target of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks was chosen carefully to create maximum impact and lauded the sacrifice of security forces to blunt the designs of the terrorists.

"The adversary chose the target carefully which included two iconic buildings and a place which millions of 'aam admi' use," the home minister said.

Praising the security forces, he said, "What does a policeman want? What do our security forces want? Be it the army jawan who stands on glaciers or in jungles of Assam, men who guard naval bases, or men who keep vigil in the skies: respect.

"I ask people of Mumbai, Maharashtra and India: give respect to policemen.

'Delayed medical attention hurt forces morale'

You send them in, you can't bring them out," says a senior officer. "Morale of the police is in the boots. A policeman is beheaded and 17 killed yesterday, but are there any tears shed for the police? Not one human rights organisation has condemned the killings. Police life is dirt cheap.

Police system is outdated. Police are ill-trained, ill-equipped and ill-paid

Higher police officials need to raise voice against arbitrary act of State Governments

"Why do you remain silent when arbitrary postings and transfers are made by the state government? Is it not your duty, as the head of state police, to raise your voice not only on behalf of your officers but also on behalf of the people that you are duty bound to protect?" he asked.

Setting up PEBs in states and UTs is only one of the directives made by the apex court on police reforms. Other directives include setting up State Security Commissions to ensure that a state government does not exercise unwarranted influence or pressure on cops; separate the investigation and law and order functions of the police; merit-based appointment of police chiefs; and setting up of police complaint authorities. 

Handle communal elements firmly: DGP Praharaj tells cops

"It is the duty of the police to instil a sense of security and confidence among the people," he said. He cautioned the officers against possible "misuse" of communal riots by criminals and extremists. The alacrity and patience of the force are very important under such volatile conditions," he added.


Special administrator for Kandhamal district Madhusudan Padhi said, "The problem must be nipped in the bud. Unless the root cause of the tension is detected and removed, it may raise its ugly head once again."

NFCH secretary Lalit Kumar said, "The police come in direct contact with the people more often than most other government functionaries. Especially in places that are so volatile, their contact is even more frequent and close. In such a situation, interaction must come with vision, understanding, tact, compassion and empathy towards the people and their cause. This will not only raise the public esteem of the police, but also lead to a healthy police-public relationship. It will also secure the desired measures of public involvement and co-operation in promotion of communal harmony."

Chidambaram calls for providing stable tenure to police officers

“How can an officer provide leadership if his or her tenure is precarious and uncertain? The Police Establishment Board will, in no way, diminish the authority of the Chief Minister or the Home Minister. On the contrary, it will greatly help them in conveying the message of fairness and non-discrimination.” The Chief Ministers could always intervene in exceptional situations.

States need to gear up on Police Reform

The home minister said the police reforms "have not received the attention they deserve" despite Supreme Court directions in that regard.