Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has advocated for better policing in Maharashtra, stating that fearless and proper use of technology can take policing to the next level, news agency PTI reported.
While addressing an annual event of the Indian Police Foundation (IPF) at the Maharashtra Police Headquarters in South Mumbai, Fadnavis stressed the need to change the organisational structure of the police force from time to time to bring in agility.
“Technology is like a horse. It is the horse rider who decides the destination. If we use technology by taking it in the right direction, fearlessly and in the right manner, then I think we can take policing to the next stage,” CM Fadnavis further stated.
Addressing the evolution of Indian technology and its significance, he said, “While we speak about embracing new technology, we also have a lot of questions in our minds, just like when computers were introduced. At that time, we had questions – whether it will affect employment – and had fear that many will lose jobs. But we did well in the (IT) sector. There was a boom in that sector and progress in Silicon Valley. The contribution of Indians in Silicon Valley was also tremendous.”
The CM further stated, “We are standing on the verge of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and have a lot of questions. The world is changing rapidly. Twenty years ago, when it was being said that street crimes will come down and white-collar crimes will go up in the future, it used to be considered a `jumla` (rhetoric). But we are now moving in that direction. Today, street crime is not a big challenge for us, but white-collar crime and cybercrime are.”
He also highlighted that a new organisational structure was brought in the police force two years ago.
“We brought in a new organisational structure in the police force in 2023, which was done after 53 years. In those 53 years, many tasks of the police, which were considered less important earlier, became most important today,” Fadnavis stated.
PTI reported that while hailing the Maharashtra Police Force, the CM said that the police have created a cyber security lab, which is the most progressive cyber security centre in the country.
“I feel glad to say that at least four countries approached us, and one of them has given us an offer letter to set up a similar kind of cyber security centre back home,” he added.
“While embracing the new technology, we should not leave the old system behind, as it has its own importance,” Fadnavis further asserted.
(With inputs from PTI)
