President Murmu tells young IPS officers to serve citizens and not act superior

President Droupadi Murmu has told young Indian Police Service (IPS) officers that the police should not show a sense of superiority over citizens but should work with sensitivity and a spirit of service. She also said smart policing should be a priority, through effective use of modern technology. According to the President, listening to people's complaints with sensitivity and resolving them, and securing justice for the weaker sections of society, is the basic responsibility of the police.

Ms Murmu was addressing probationers of the 78 RR (2025 batch) of the IPS at Rashtrapati Bhavan. She said police officers and personnel are the face of governance for citizens. When the police function well, people's trust in governance grows firmer. She said that when policing is good, people feel governance is good too.

The President said that when a police officer hears a complaint attentively and with sensitivity, the complainant gets great moral support. People from socially and economically weaker sections, in particular, often cannot reach senior officers at all. She therefore appealed to the police to give priority to understanding the problems of such people, removing the fear in their minds and disposing of complaints properly.

The President also stressed the importance of teamwork and public participation. In her view, some junior personnel in the police force may be more adept at using technology than senior officers, so senior officers should not hesitate to learn from their junior colleagues. She said the police's efficiency can rise if the skills and experience of every member of staff are put to use.

Ms Murmu said police officers should value public participation in their way of working and look after the welfare of every team member to raise their capability and enthusiasm. According to the President, taking the whole team along without distinguishing between senior and junior will let responsibilities be discharged more effectively.

She said that while law and rules give the police many powers, the real respect they earn in society depends on how they work and on their personal values. The police should not feel that they are above citizens. Instead, they must have a commitment to serve citizens and a sense of responsibility, Ms Murmu said.

On misinformation, the President said spreading such information to create fear and confusion in society is becoming a serious problem. Citizens who are easily influenced, and the young, can be caught in the web of such deliberately planned misinformation. Such incidents can occur at the local, regional or national level. It is therefore necessary to bring them under control through smart policing before the situation worsens, she said.

The President also expressed concern at the rising number and seriousness of cybercrimes. She said the police should discharge more effectively their responsibility of spreading awareness in society about the dangers of cybercrime. She said the way these crimes are viewed also needs to change.

Deepfake technology is posing new challenges for citizens. According to the President, the police must always stay one step ahead of those who commit crimes using cutting-edge technology. For this, knowledge of modern technology, continuous training and study of changing methods of crime are necessary. Finally, Ms Murmu appealed to the probationer IPS officers to win citizens' trust through smart, capable and sensitive policing.