'Change negative perception about police': Narendra Modi tells IPS probationers

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told Indian Police Service probationers that the spirit of 'Nation First, Always First' should reflect in their every action and also asked them to work to change the negative perception of the force among people.Addressing the IPS probationers at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy via video-conferencing, he urged them to let their every action in the field be guided by national interest and perspective."You are the flag-bearers of 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat'. Therefore, the spirit of Nation First, Always First, should be reflected in your every action," the prime minister said.Noting that the "negative perception" people have about police is a "big challenge", Modi said this changed a bit during the beginning of the coronavirus period when people saw policemen helping out, but the old situation has returned.In this context, the prime minister cited the credibility and good image the National Disaster Response Force enjoys among people and asked if the society has similar sentiments for police."You also know the answer. This negative perception among the masses that the police has is a very big challenge... Our police personnel even sacrifice their lives for the security of the country, while maintaining law and order and fighting terrorism. They are unable to go home for days, they are unable to go home even during festivals but when it comes to the police's image, people's perception is different," he said.It is the responsibility of the new generation joining the police force to ensure that this image changes and this negative perception of the police goes away, Modi said.The prime minister said that in the last 75 years, India has tried to build a better police service and police training infrastructure has also improved a lot in recent years. "The way the youth of the country came forward between 1930 and 1947, the whole young generation got united for one goal, today the same sentiment is expected from you," Modi told the IPS probationers."At that time the people of the country fought for 'swaraj', today you have to move forward for 'surajya' (good governance). You are starting your career at a time when India is going through a phase of transformation in every field, every level," he said."The coming 25 years of your career are also going to be the most important 25 years of India's development. That's why your preparation, your mental state, should be in line with this big goal," he said.Modi emphasised the need to keep police ready in these times of technological disruptions.He said the challenge is to prevent new types of crime with even more innovative methods. Noting that there have been efforts to increase the participation of women in the force, he expressed the hope that they will infuse the police service with the highest standards of efficiency, accountability and also bring in elements of politeness, ease and sensitivity.He also mentioned that the states are working on introducing Commissioner System in the cities with more than 10 lakh population. The system has already been introduced in many cities of 16 states. Modi said it is important to work collectively and sensitively to make policing effective and futuristic.Paying homage to the members of the police force who lost their lives during the pandemic, he recalled their contribution to the fight against the pandemic. With police officers from some neighbouring countries also being part of the training, he said this underlines the closeness and deep relation with these countries.Be it Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives or Mauritius, they are not just neighbours but India also shares a lot of similarities with them in thinking and social fabric, the prime minister said. "We are friends in times of need and whenever there is any calamity or difficulty we are the first responders for each other. This was evident during the Corona period also," he said.Modi also interacted with the probationers during the event and offered them several suggestions.He advised a woman officer, Ranjeeta Sharma from Haryana who has been allotted Rajasthan cadre, to give one hour every week to students at girl schools in her place of posting, as it will motivate them to achieve their full potential.Union Home Minister Amit Shah also attended the event. The Hyderabad-based academy is the premier police training institution in the country. It trains officers of the Indian Police Service at the induction level and conducts various in-service courses for the serving IPS officers.