Addressing a group of Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers, the President said that India is the fastest growing major economy in the world. “We need increasingly larger public and private investments for sustaining and accelerating our economic growth”, said the President. She emphasised that law and order is a necessary pre-condition for attracting investment in any state or region, adding that effective policing is as important as economic incentives in promoting investment and growth, while mentioning that a future-ready police force led by young officers will play a major role in the making of Viksit Bharat.
The President said that young officers occupy positions of power and authority. So they should keep in mind that with authority comes the accountability. She stated that their actions and conduct will always be under public scrutiny. They should remember to choose what is ethical and not what is expedient. Just and fair procedures should be followed even when dealing with exigencies. And while they derive a lot of powers from the laws and systems, the President was quick to point out that the real authority will come from their personal and professional integrity, emphasising that moral authority will earn them everyone’s respect and trust.
The President said that a police officer deals with crime and criminals almost all the time. This may have a desensitising effect on them and blunt their humaneness. She urged officers that in the course of becoming an effective officer, they should make a special effort to keep their own compassionate core intact.
The President underlined that technology has substantially altered the space of policing. Just about ten years ago, the expression ‘digital arrest’ would have been impossible to understand. Today, it is one of the most dreaded threats to citizens. India has one of the largest and fastest growing AI user-bases. This is going to impact policing also. She said that IPS officers should be several steps ahead in adopting new technologies, including AI, compared to those who will use these technologies with wrongful intent.
