Tura, May 21: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday stressed the need for outcome-oriented, technology-driven policing and continuous training to strengthen intelligence gathering, law and order management and public safety.
Addressing a meeting of senior Meghalaya Police officers in West Garo Hills, he said the true measure of policing lies not merely in recruitment numbers or infrastructure expansion, but in tangible improvements in public safety and reduction in crime.
“Recruiting 3,900 personnel is not an achievement in itself. The real achievement is whether crime has reduced, lives have been saved and public safety has improved,” he said.
The chief minister said the regular conduct of the SSP, COs Conference marked a significant institutional improvement and appreciated Director General of Police I Nongrang for ensuring that such meetings are held consistently.
“This is a very positive step. Once again, I would like to sincerely thank our DGP for making this happen,” he said.
The CM emphasised that the conference should serve as a platform for officers to openly raise concerns and challenges faced by the department.
“The first step is to create a platform where issues can be openly expressed. That itself is the beginning of finding solutions,” he said.
Sangma also underlined the importance of continuous training in areas such as law and order management, behavioural sciences, intelligence gathering and technology adoption.
He suggested that future conferences include dedicated sessions on intelligence and best policing practices, and recommended exposure visits for officers to cities such as Mumbai and Delhi to learn from high-performing police systems.
The conference also reviewed implementation of recommendations adopted at the DGPs/IGPs Conference and discussed issues relating to policing reforms, citizen-centric policing, law and order, cybercrime response systems, recruitment reforms and infrastructure development.
Presentations were made on topics including law and order management, the Police Integrated Management System (PIMS), complaint management systems, cyber helpline integration, amendments to police service rules and human resource management reforms.
Discussions also focused on strengthening institutional capacity, improving coordination mechanisms and enhancing service delivery through greater technology integration.
The chief minister instructed that all presentations made during the conference be compiled and shared with his office for detailed review and suggested that key issues be taken up in a joint review meeting involving the Home department and senior police leadership for time-bound decisions. (PTI)
