The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Police have big role in national security: C.V. Narasimhan

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jul 09, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Police have big role in national security: C.V. Narasimhan

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, JULY 8. The police have a much greater role to play in national security. For national security is linked with internal security, C.V. Narasimhan, former Director, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), said here today.

He was delivering an endowment lecture of the late S. Parthasarathy I.P. (Retd.) Birth Centenary Celebrations Memorial Trust, jointly organised by the Madras University's Criminology department, on "the new dimensions of national security." While the defence forces were well motivated to combat external aggression, one could not be so sure that the administrative system was protected against all possibilities of internal subversion.

With globalisation, there was scope for foreign interference in internal affairs. That would have its impact on national security. Overt and covert attempts at internal subversion and the festering problem of terrorism should be taken into account while talking of internal security.

Mr. Narasimhan explained that a special law was necessary to tackle terrorism (after the Prevention of Terrorism Act is repealed), as the existing laws were not sufficient. The provisions of the new legislation should be carefully evolved so that the law was not misused. Thus, the police had a greater role in national security.

Anti-terrorism task was firmly linked with intelligence work. Hence, the police must reorient their entire approach so that people would feel free to pass on information on terrorist activities. "For that, the police image has to improve." Crime intelligence work must be done with a national perspective. Better coordination among intelligence agencies was necessary to tackle terrorism.

In the changing scenario, the Centre would have an increasing responsibility to take preventive measures against internal subversion, he said.

Mr. Narasimhan described the late Parthasarathy as a highly distinguished police officer who made a mark in his career.

The Madras University Vice-Chancellor, S.P. Thyagarajan, said national security and its dimensions became important after the terrorist attacks in United States. Security was not confined to defence security and there were other threats, including bio-terrorism.

V. Vaikunth, trust secretary said Parthasarathy was also an outstanding constitutional lawyer. The trust proposed to give scholarships to the wards of police officers from this year.

R. Thilagaraj, Professor and Head, Criminology Department, spoke.

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