Prime Minister Narendra Modi today drew the attention of the country's top police officials to the problems arising out of social media and cyber crimes, saying they should be dealt with on highest priority.
Speaking at the concluding day of the annual conference of the DGPs and IGPs here at the BSF Academy, the prime minister said that there was an emerging global consensus towards greater information sharing on illicit financial dealings and India could play a key role in achieving this.
Modi said cyber security issues should be dealt with immediately and should receive highest priority, according to an official release.
In this context, the prime minister particularly mentioned the importance of social media.
He said messaging should rely on local languages for greater effectiveness.
Referring to the radicalisation of youth, Modi urged the top police officers to use technology to pinpoint the problem areas.
Around 250 top officers from the state police forces and central police organisations participated in the three-day meet.
The prime minister said India is an "organic entity" and not an "assembled" one and asked the police officers from the states to open up in sharing information on illicit financial dealings.
He said while openness is getting increased acceptance worldwide, there is a need for greater openness among states too, on security issues.
Modi said security cannot be achieved selectively, or alone, and for that breaking of silos and information sharing among states can help make everyone more secure.
Following a directive of Modi, the home ministry has been organising the conference outside the national capital since the NDA government came to power in 2014.
The last three conferences were held in Guwahati, Rann of Kutch and Hyderabad.
The prime minister recalled how the nature and the scope of the conference has changed since 2014, beginning with its being shifted out of Delhi.
He appreciated the officers who have been instrumental in facilitating this change.
Modi said the conference has now become more relevant, in the context of challenges and responsibilities facing the country.
He said the new format of the conference has resulted in a marked improvement in the quality of discussions.
The prime minister commended the countrys security apparatus for the work they have been doing in securing the country.
He said that the officers present in the conference have delivered leadership, despite often having to operate in an environment of negativity.
Modi said that as a result of the discussions in the conference over the last few years, now, once an objective is clearly defined for the police force, there is a lot of cohesion in the execution.
He said this conference was helping top police officers get a more holistic view of the problems and challenges. He said the range of topics being discussed has also become more broad-based over the last two years.
This has helped give a whole new vision to senior police officers, he said.
Discussing ways to add even more value to this conference, the prime minister suggested that the follow up should continue through working groups, all the year round.
In this context, he specially emphasised the importance of involving younger officers. Modi said this would greatly help in improving effectiveness of the exercise.
The prime minister also presented Presidents police medals for distinguished service to Intelligence Bureau (IB) officers. During his address, the prime minister congratulated and appreciated the medal winning officers of the IB, for their dedication and commitment to service.
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and union ministers of states Hansraj Ahir and Shri Kiren Rijiju were also present on the occasion.
