Actionable info must to stop terror acts: Patil

With the Hyderabad blasts in the background and the failure of intelligence in preventing the incident, Home Minister Shivraj Patil has called for more "actionable intelligence" to prevent such incidents.

Addressing a three-day conference of directors and inspector generals of police, Patil urged that "perfect, reliable and actionable intelligence" was required for "policing in a proper manner."

He admitted that "special agencies of the states are not strong and adequate enough to meet the demands of the present and the future. They need to be strengthened."

He also added that co-operation from the state governments was needed in order to properly analyse intelligence inputs.  "It is becoming obvious that more sophisticated weapons and devices may be used by terrorists. They are likely to use modern technologies in carrying out terrorist activities," he said. 

Patil cautioned that terrorists are likely to use publicity apparatus to mislead the masses and create mischief and violence at places where innocent people congregate in large numbers. "Religious places can be attacked. Police may become their targets. Politicians and other important persons may also be targeted," he said at the meet organised by the Intelligence Bureau. 

With intelligence reports suggesting that "sleeper cells" of Pakistan-based Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed being present in the country, the minister said: They can become active when needed by them (terrorist groups). 

Patil said new technologies were becoming available to criminals to commit crimes with ease and lesser difficulties and risks. Newer crimes were coming to notice in some parts of the country. "Dealing with them requires new methods and new approaches and better training methods. The police cannot afford to lag behind the criminals in making use of new ideas, equipment, technologies and training," he said. 

Expressing concern over the very low police-population ratio in the country, Patil said many states have not increased the strength of policemen and officers for the last many years. "To create new posts, the governments may take time, but to fill up the vacancies, there should be no difficulties and delays," he said.