Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today termed as "worrisome" attempts by secessionist and militant groups in Jammu and Kashmir to make common cause with "outside elements" to create an impression of turmoil in the state and said such a situation must not be allowed to develop.
Singh also said infiltration from across the Line of Control and also via other routes such as Nepal, Bangladesh and the sea is "going up."
Addressing the Directors General and Inspectors General of Police's here on the concluding day of the two-day conference organised by the Intelligence Bureau, he said there were reasons to be satisfied that both Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in the state were held in a peaceful manner and that the level of violence is "perhaps at its lowest levels" since the beginning of insurgency in the late 80's.
"But there are certain developments that are worrisome. Infiltration across the Line of Control and also via other routes such as Nepal, Bangladesh and the sea is going up. Encounters with armed militants have become more frequent in recent weeks and months," he told the conference attended by Home Minister P Chidamabaram and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan.
In an obvious reference to Pakistan, the Prime Minister said secessionist and militant groups within the state were again attempting to make common cause with outside elements and have embarked on a series of protest movements.
Singh said the intention of such groups was apparently to create an impression of widespread turmoil in the state.
"We must not allow such situation to develop. It is imperative that these efforts are contained and checked," he stressed.
The Prime Minister expressed concern over increasing incidents of Naxal violence which he termed as the "gravest internal security threat."
"I have consistently held that Left Wing Extremism poses perhaps the gravest internal security threat that we face. We have not achieved as much as success as we would have liked in containing it. It is a matter of concern that despite efforts, the level of violence in the affected states continues to rise," he said.
Contending that Naxalism cannot be treated as a law and order problem, he said dealing with Maoists requires a "nuanced" strategy.
"Despite its sanguinary nature the movement manages to retain a section of the tribals and the poorest of the poor in many areas. It has influence among sizable sections of civil society, the intelligentsia and youth. It still retains a certain elan. All this adds to the complexity of the problem," Singh said.
He said the situation in the North-Eastern part of the country is "far from comfortable" especially in Manipur and Assam where current levels of violence were cause for concern.
The Prime Minister said while filling of vacancies in the police was necessary, there was need for capacity building at the police station level as well.
"But increasing numbers alone will not be enough. We need a new-age policeman who is more professional, better-motivated, suitably empowered, well-trained, one who places greater emphasis on technology for investigation and other tasks," Singh said.
He said there was also need for providing adequate amenities, like housing, to the police personnel.
"At the same time greater attention has to be paid to the provision of adequate amenities such as housing for our policemen," the Prime Minister said.
Singh also underlined the need for providing better technology, equipment and weapons to the police at the grass root level.The Prime Minister asked the attending officials to ensure greater emphasis of the training aspect of policemen.
"I understand that on the average a police officer is retrained only once in about twenty years. This is totally inadequate and must be rectified. It would also help if the police were to benchmark their training curricula with the syllabi and training methodologies of police training institutions elsewhere in the world to ensure better quality," Singh said.
He said there was very little research in areas of police and policing.
The Prime Minister proposed to set up a National Police University and a National Institute for Law and Order-related subjects.
Singh stressed on the need for developing confidence among weaker sections of the society for "policeman and the police station."
"It is your solemn duty to protect the weak and the defenceless. Those who seek to promote communal violence and discord have to be dealt with firmly.... The underprivileged and weaker sections of our society - the minorities, the SCs and STs, women and senior citizens - should feel confidence in you," he said.
The Prime Minister said,"The common man should go about his daily life with a sense of security. He should have faith in the policeman and the police station. And this I believe, is the real test of our efforts, a test that we cannot afford to fail."
"Each police station should aim at being self-sufficient and needs to be given the required resources in terms of anti-riot gear, better weapons, the nucleus of a mobile forensic unit and be connected to a networked criminal data base management system.
Every city should have a modern police control room with digitized maps," he said.
The Prime Minister said systems and procedure should be designed to minimize scope for corruption.
"We should have a sufficiently long-term perspective in this area and also the required amount of funds should be made available for the purpose," he said.
