4 Feb : In the wake of Mumbai terror attacks, efforts are underway to activate the national police mission to expedite modernisation of force including procurement of better weapons and modern gadgets.
"A meeting of the executive committee of the Mission will be convened soon," Additional Secretary in the Home Ministry Anita Choudhary said at an internal security meet.
She said the Mission has been divided into six micro-missions which have been asked to come up with innovative ideas so that their suggestions could be given due consideration.
The idea to have such a mission was mooted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005 to transform police forces in the country into effective instruments for maintenance of internal security and for facing the challenges of the next century by equipping them with the necessary material, intellectual and organisational resources.
The Police Mission is seen as an important step towards police reforms in the country.
She said the Mission would work in such a manner so as to prepare a road map to deal with various security challenges in the next ten years by procuring modern weapons and gadgets.
"There should be a continuous dialogue between the security agencies and the industry," she told industrialists participating in the two-day meet.
She suggested that companies should try and invest in Research and Development so that at the end, the government has a wider option to procure the best.
In his key note address, Deputy National Security Advisor Shekhar Dutt said use of technology should be maximised for matters of surveillance and weapons.
He favoured better instrumentation and effective connectivity to deal with internal security issues but at the same time maintained that human intelligence played an important role.
"Human intelligence is as important as technology," he said.
The Conference organised by CII will deliberate on communication technology for internal security, integrated surveillance system, role of Information Technology in police modernisation, and high mobility and specialised vehicles for police and paramilitary forces.
