Managing traffic in urban areas, social media big challenges for cops: Rajnath

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today flagged issues of burgeoning traffic due to rapid urbanisation and rumour mongering through the social media as major challenges before the police in the country.

After inaugurating the 2nd conference of young Superintendents of Police, the Home Minister also asked senior police officers to behave in a respectable and decent manner with their sub-ordinates and those in the constabulary in order to have good morale in the forces.

The two-day conference is being organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) that functions under the Union Home Ministry.

"The police has numerous challenges and with rapid urbanisation, traffic management is becoming a big problem. We (the police and security establishment) will have to think about it and find effective solutions," the minister said.

In Delhi too, Singh said, "people have to face the traffic problems and we get regular complaints on this subject."

Talking to the SPs and Commandant rank officers of various state police and central paramilitary forces, the Home Minister said the menace of spreading malicious news and rumours using various social media platforms is a "big challenge."

Recently we saw there were some movements and protests in the country but there was no physical meeting held to strategise about these actions, but a message on social media platforms did all the job, he said.

"There is no doubt that social media is a good tool too but it should be ensured that it is used constructively," he said. The Home Minister also talked about the image and working conditions of the police personnel in the country.

While everyone expects the policeman to be courteous and efficient, which he should be, the difficulties faced by them (police personnel) should also be seen, Singh said.

"The workload on an average policeman is so much...at times they get meals only once in 18 hours times. You can understand the mental state of such a person...after all every policeman is an emotional creature too," he said.

Singh asked the police officers to behave in a befitting and decent manner with their sub-ordinates and have a connect across their ranks as he underlined that "there has always been a dearth" in this subject.

The Home Minister recounted his young days in politics and said he was once put off by the rude behaviour of a Deputy SP rank officer in Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh when he went to meet him regarding a murder probe.

"The officer hurled all kinds of abuses on his Inspector who was handling the case. I told him that I do not approve of such a behaviour and I left his office even as my work was not done," he said.
You should lead by example and exhibit good behaviour and promote good work culture, the minister advised to the police brass in attendance.
The minister asked the Bureau of Police Research and Development, the think tank on policing subjects, to work and strengthen the capabilities of the agencies vis-a-vis the use of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and forensic techniques while rendering law and order duties and investigations.

He stressed that "predictive policing" should be taken up more and more in the police agencies so that "crime is stopped before it happens."

The minister also urged police organisations to develop smartphone apps (applications) to help the public as per their respective mandates.

Singh also broached the subject of coastal security and said all the stakeholders in this domain-- the Navy, Coast Guard and costal police -- need to enhance their coordination to effectively thwart threats to the Indian maritime boundary that is over 7,000-kms long.

He underlined that an answer to any policing challenge should be found out through more and more "out-of-box solutions."

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