Prime Minister Narendra Modi stressed t the need for radical reforms in policing, which he said had not been done since Independence, and sought a change in the negative portrayal of the force.
He dedicated a building of Rashtriya Raksha University to the nation and delivered its first Convocation address at Ahmedabad. Union Minister for Home Affairs and Minister of Cooperation, Amit Shah, Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel were among those present on the occasion.
Prime Minister said that earlier notion of internal security during the colonial time was based on instilling fear among the masses for keeping peace for the colonial masters. Similarly, earlier scenario was very different as the security forces had more time to prepare which is no longer so as technology and transportation and communication has improved so much.
He also said today’s policing requires skills like negotiating and other soft skills that are needed to function in a democratic scenario. He stressed the need to change the image of police and security personnel. Depiction of police in the popular culture has not helped in this regard, either.
He noted the humane work by the police personnel during the pandemic. “Post-independence, there was a need of reforms in the country’s security apparatus. A perception was developed that we have to be careful of the uniformed personnel. But it has transformed now. When people see uniformed personnel now, they get the assurance of help”, he said.
The Prime Minister also noted shrinking of the support network of joint family for police personnel in dealing with the stress of the job. He emphasized need for experts to deal with stress and relaxation including yoga experts in the forces. “Stress-free training activities is need of the hour for strengthening the country’s security apparatus”, he added.
He underlined the importance of technology in the security and policing work. He said if criminals are using technology, technology can be harnessed to nab them also. He said this emphasis on technology would also enable even the divyang people to contribute in the field.
Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) was set up to meet the need for high quality trained manpower in various wings of policing, criminal justice and correctional administration. Government set up a national police university named Rashtriya Raksha University by upgrading the Raksha Shakti University which was established by the Government of Gujarat in 2010.
