The 59th DGP and IGP Conference held in Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, has once again raised a new hope towards security and smart policing. The major highlight of the conference was the address by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he emphasized on policing strategies and the need for strong measures against new technological threats, especially cyber crimes. Modi said that the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and India’s ‘Aspirational India’ can be an effective solution to advance ‘smart’ policing.
Smart Policing: Journey from 2014 to today
Prime Minister Narendra Modi first presented the idea of smart policing at the Guwahati conference in 2014. The idea has been expanded several times since that time. In 2014, Modi had advised the police to become ‘Strict and Sensitive’, ‘Modern and Mobile’, ‘Alert and Accountable’, ‘Reliable and Responsible’, ‘Technosavvy and Trend’. Now in the conference held in Bhubaneswar, Modi discussed the successful implementation of this formula.
250 officers attended this three-day conference
More than 250 DGP and IGP level officers from across the country participated in this three-day meeting held in Bhubaneswar. Apart from this, around 750 officers participated online. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval also increased its importance with their presence in this conference.
New dimension of artificial intelligence
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the growing challenge of cyber crimes at the conference and said that India needs ‘Dual AI’. On one side there is the technological power of Artificial Intelligence and on the other side there is the power of India’s progress and aspirations, which was called ‘Aspirational India’. Modi suggested that both these aspects together will make the police more capable, so that the threats posed by digital fraud, cyber crime and AI can be effectively dealt with.
Increasing threat of cyber crimes
The increasing incidents of cyber crimes in the year 2023 have put both the government and citizens under serious concern. In the last year alone there was a loss of more than Rs 1776 crore due to cyber fraud. Out of these, Rs 1420 crore were defrauded from the people on the pretext of earning profits in the stock market. Rs 222.58 crore were defrauded in the name of investment in various lucrative schemes and Rs 13.25 crore were defrauded in the name of romance on dating sites.
Around 7.5 lakh complaints of cyber crimes were registered in the first quarter of 2024. During this period, cyber thugs withdrew Rs 120.3 crore from people’s bank accounts. On an average, this figure represents cyber fraud of around Rs 60 crore per day. These figures are not only a matter of concern, but also highlight a new challenge to the policing and banking system.
Joint challenge of center and states
Prime Minister Modi said that cyber crimes will have to be fought not only through policing, but through the entire system. The central government, the Reserve Bank, the police and other concerned institutions need to work together. For this, not only technical measures are needed, but it is also necessary to make people aware.
However, awareness campaigns against cyber crimes are being run at every level. The Central Government and State Governments are continuously making efforts to warn people about cyber fraud through digital media, through police departments and through the Reserve Bank. Nevertheless, factors like ignorance and greed make people fall into the trap of swindlers.
Despite awareness, increasing trend of fraud
In most of the cases, it has been seen that educated people, former government officials and people from the rich class also become victims of cyber fraudsters. Fraudsters have developed many techniques through which they can break into people’s bank accounts. The banking system and policing will have to work together to combat these new techniques of cyber fraudsters.
Policing measures against cyber crimes
To deal with cyber crimes, the police will have to take the help of technical experts. Recruitment of cyber experts and special training programs for them will be necessary in police departments. Along with this, it is also important to increase awareness about cyber security among the people.
This message of Prime Minister Modi makes it clear that the policing of the future will have to be smart, efficient, and technologically strong. In this direction, by using India’s ‘Dual AI’ power, it can be ensured that measures to deal with cyber crimes are even more effective.
India moving towards a new direction
This conference in Bhubaneswar also proved that under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, the country is continuously trying to strengthen its security system. Be it cyber crime, terrorism or conspiracies to disturb social harmony – India’s security system is now moving in a new direction with new technologies.
This conference has given the message that traditional methods alone will not suffice for policing, but now new technologies and strategies are needed to deal with the threats of the cyber world.
