Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation, Shri Amit Shah, addressed the 50th All India Police Science Conference as the chief guest in Gandhinagar, Gujarat today. On this occasion, Gujarat’s Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel, Union Home Secretary Shri Govind Mohan, and Director General of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D), Shri Rajiv Kumar Sharma, along with many other dignitaries, were present.
In his address, Home Minsiter said that it is impossible to keep our policing and security systems relevant today without the All India Police Science Conference. He highlighted that the Police Science Conference is meant to keep our entire system relevant in the fight against crime. Shri Shah emphasised that there is a need to rework the structure, participation, methods of gathering inputs, and the system of delivering research and development down to the beat constable level in the police stations. He added that it is time to comprehensively re-evaluate these aspects.
Union Home Minister said that any system becomes obsolete if it remains unchanged for 50 years. He pointed out that over the past several decades there have been significant changes in the country, the world, the realm of crime, and policing. However, he questioned whether the Police Science Conference has evolved in line with these changes. He emphasized that we are somewhat behind in making timely changes in the methodology, objectives, and implementation of decisions in the Police Science Conference. Shri Shah also said that without understanding the challenges of the future, our planning can never be successful.
Shri Amit Shah said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has advanced in every field to take a leadership role globally, and as a result, our challenges have increased. He mentioned that India's economy has moved from being the 11th largest to the 5th largest in the world, and by 2028, we will become the third-largest economy in the world. Shri Shah said that Modi government has made the judicial process faster and more transparent through the digital revolution.
Union Home Minister stated that during this conference, discussions will take place across eight sessions on topics such as new criminal laws, the use of forensic science, disaster management, the application of block-chain technology, cyber fraud, policing in smart cities, community policing in tribal areas, and measures to address radicalization in prisons. Home Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India has undergone a transformative change in internal security and its criminal justice system. In the next 10 years, India's criminal justice system will be the most modern, scientific, and speedy in the world. He mentioned that with the full implementation of the three new criminal laws, justice will be delivered in any case within three years, even at the Supreme Court level.
Shri Amit Shah stated that for decades, Kashmir, Northeast, and Naxal-affected areas were considered troubled regions. However, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the government has strengthened security and brought significant improvements in situations in these areas. He mentioned that in the past 10 years, compared to the previous decade, we have successfully reduced violence by nearly 70%. Shri Shah noted that in the past 10 years of the Modi government, authorities have successfully seized 5,45,000 kilograms of narcotics worth ₹35,000 crores, which is six times more than the amount seized in the 10 years before the Modi govt came into power. He said that this means that in the past 10 years, we have revamped the seizure process in a scientific manner and have achieved success in it.
Union Home Minister said computerisation was the first step towards implementing the new criminal laws. He mentioned that 100% of the country’s police stations, that is, all 17,000 police stations, have been computerised and connected to the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network & Systems (CCTNS). Additionally, 22,000 courts have been integrated with the e-court system, and data for over two crore prisoners is now available under the e-prison system. Through e-prosecution, data for over 1.5 crore prosecutions is available, and through e-forensics, data for over 23 lakh forensic results is also accessible. Under the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS), 1.6 crore fingerprint records are available. Additionally, the Integrated Monitoring of Terrorism (IMOT) system provides data on 22,000 terrorism-related cases for monitoring under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Under the National Integrated Database on Arrested Narco Offenders (NIDAAN), data for 7.6 lakh narco offenders is available. Additionally, under the National Database of Human Trafficking Offenders (NDHTO), data for nearly one lakh human traffickers is accessible. Moreover, the Crime Multi-Agency Centre (Cri-MAC) has generated over 16 lakh alerts.
Shri Amit Shah said that even before bringing the three new criminal laws, the Modi government made a comprehensive system of connecting the court, prosecution, police, jail and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL). He said that the Britishers had made laws 150 years ago to protect their government and the citizens were not at the centre of them. Home Minister stated that the three new criminal laws introduced by the Modi government focus on ensuring the safety of the country's citizens and safeguarding the rights granted by the Constitution. He said that the latest technology has been incorporated in these new three laws in such a way that the law will not need to be changed due to technological changes in the future. Shri Shah said that there will be a system of getting speedy justice in these laws. He said that many provisions have also been made in these laws to make the police accountable and strong. Shri Shah added that providing speedy and accessible justice to every citizen of India is the priority of the Modi government.
Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation said that it is the responsibility of the Police Science Conference to work towards integrating and making various collected data usable collectively through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). He said that the results that will come from the use of this data can be used to create a platform for analysis in our police system. After this analysis, changes can be made in our judicial system for crime investigation and speedy justice to prevent crimes. Shri Shah said that this entire process will be beneficial only when the Police Science Conference accepts such issues as a challenge. Home Minister said that to achieve this, a large number of hackathons should be organized. Additionally, to resolve issues, the utility of the various collected data should be enhanced by working with AI experts, and the analysis derived from this should be used to improve the system.
Shri Amit Shah said that in the coming days, there are many challenges facing India and the whole World, for which we should try to find solutions in India. Shri Shah said that there are 5 areas in which law enforcement agencies should always stay ahead of criminals. He mentioned that these include tackling cybercrime, preventing infiltration and securing borders using technology, stopping the illegal use of drones, maximizing the use of modern technology in narcotics investigation and awareness, and preventing and addressing the misuse of the dark web. Shri Shah stated that BPR&D and the Police Science Conference should collaborate with capable individuals in research and development to advance in these five areas.
Union Home Minister said that the courts, prosecution, police, CAPFs and State Reserve Police together form a joint family of about 10-crore people who strengthen the criminal justice system of our country. He said that people participating in the Police Science Conference have the potential to change the entire country through discussion and inclusive methodologies. Home Minister stated that BPR&D should create a roadmap for the Police Science Conference for the next 10 years, which includes annual reviews, a five-year review, and a reassessment after five years. He emphasized that this roadmap should be designed in a way that ensures we reach our destination in the next 10 years, as only then will BPR&D and the Police Science Conference be considered successful.
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