“3rd Degree is an old trick, let’s try new ‘scientific’ ones”, Amit Shah to Police force

On course in line with pushing the much needed police reforms, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has indicated that the state needs to employ scientific methods to tackle crimes and include scientific methods for investigation of crimes.

While speaking at the 49th foundation day celebrations of Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRD) in New Delhi, the Union Home Minister also called for setting up National Modus Operandi Bureau for scientific analysis of crime and criminal mentality. He said, “This isn’t era of third degree, we need to use scientific methods for investigation. This is possible if modernization of police force is done in the right manner. Police must think for steps ahead of criminals and criminal minded people… I told PM Modi to think about National Modus Operandi Bureau to study methods of crime and criminal mentality.”

In the address he also announced that a police university and forensic Science University will also be set up at the national level. “There will be colleges affiliated to it in every state. Bureau of police research and Development has sent draft regarding this; it will be placed before cabinet soon.”

Amit Shah also reiterated PM Modi’s goal of making India a $5 trillion economy and pointed out that economic progress is not possible without securing the country while outlining the importance of maintaining external security and law and order in the states.

“As the era is changing, our challenge is also changing. We need to modernize the police department. Over 34,000 police officers had sacrificed their lives to maintain law and order within the country. Now it is important to move forward. The police must carry out their duty responsibly,” he said in his concluding remarks at BPRD.

A report from NITI Aayog had indicated that Gujarat can be considered a good example regarding application of scientific methods in policing. The report read, “To augment forensic support, there is a need to have forensic laboratories in each district or at best at Divisional/Range levels. Experts have pointed to Gujarat as a model in this regard. Ahmedabad has the State Forensic Science Laboratory. In addition, Ahmedabad Junagadh, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara have regional laboratories with one district laboratory in Valsad. Moreover, 47 mobile laboratories cover the entire State. This is supplemented by the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University and a Directorate of Forensic Science in Gandhinagar.” It is important to note that Amit Shah had also served as the home minister of Gujarat before plunging into national politics.

Major reforms in regard to providing police forces with adequate resources, equipment and scientific environment for execution of their responsibilities are surely the need of the hour; with applications of scientific methods police forces can surely have an upper hand in crime detection, prevention and investigation. Such police reforms which have been kept on the back burner for long will surely be critical in maintaining and safeguarding the economic growth India is poised to experience in coming decades. Now these comments coming from the Union Home Minister Amit Shah are surely in line with efforts to further strengthen India’s security profile.