Demonstrate through action integrity, impartiality, competence: President Murmu addresses IPS probationers in Hyd

Police officers should keep in mind and demonstrate through action, the five fundamental attributes of integrity, impartiality, courage, competence and sensitivity, President Droupadi Murmu said on Tuesday.

Murmu, who addressed the probationers of the 74th batch of the Indian Police Service at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy here, said police is the most visible organ of the government. When the police force commands trust of the people, it enhances the image of the government, she said.

''The police will command respect and trust only when the entire force under you, to the last constable, displays alertness, sensitivity and honesty,'' she said.

She told the IPS probationers that as the leaders of their force, they have to demonstrate through action, the attributes of integrity, impartiality, courage, competence and sensitivity.

When the country is celebrating 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav,' the nation acknowledges the rich contribution of our police force in sustaining and strengthening the world's largest and most vibrant democracy, she said.

Observing that the burden of colonial past and feudal habits still affects many aspects of behaviour and governance in our country, she said, that is why, liberation from the mindset of slavery, for those who still retain it, has been identified as one of the national priorities. ''Let us always remember the simple fact that the colonial powers developed policing systems based on consent and participation of citizens in their own countries. But they promoted policing based on fear among citizens in colonies like India,'' she said.

The responsibility of prevention and detection of crime, and upholding the Rule of Law, is becoming more complex. Dealing with terrorism, insurgency, militancy, ideology-driven violent extremism, communal violence, large networks of organised crime and other threats to internal security requires high levels of motivation, skills and perseverance, she said.

Cyber crimes and issues related to social media pose novel challenges and technology-driven policing is needed to combat hi-tech crimes, she said.

Noting that women constitute nearly 30 per cent of the police force in Scandinavian countries, she said the Scandinavian countries, having the largest average women representation in the police, are also among the top-ranking countries in terms of Human Development Indices. ''We should quickly move ahead from the phase of empowering women to the stage of women led development. It is already happening in many fields. It must happen in a much bigger way,'' she said.

Crimes against women remain a blot on our society and let us all resolve to bring about transformational changes, she said.

Earlier, addressing the students and faculty members of the Keshav Memorial Educational Society at a function organised as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav here, Murmu stressed the importance of teaching value education to children to make them good citizens.

''I say everywhere that value education should be added in our curriculum, our system, our syllabus,'' she said.

She was responding to a query from a student that the absence of study of ethical values is leading to unwanted incidents in the society.

She also observed that culture is one's identity and that there should be a feeling of pride about one's culture.

''Culture is our identity. It is our duty to maintain and develop it. Others identify us through our culture,'' she said.

Responding to a query seeking suggestion of measures to legislature and executive in promotion of fraternity among citizens as mentioned in the Constitution, she praised the makers of the Constitution for making a good Constitution and said changes are made as per the needs of the changing times.

The incumbent government is making efforts to improve things and such effort was made earlier as well, she said.

It is the duty of all, not just MPs and the judiciary, to follow what is written in the Constitution, she said.

In her speech at the Educational Society, she expressed confidence that the implementation of National Education Policy 2020 will create a learner-centric education system to foster critical thinking and creativity.

This shift in focus will not only benefit the students as individuals, but will also contribute to the overall progress and development of the nation, she said.