— Photo: PTI

OFFICERS AND GENTLEMAN: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh interacts with Indian Police Service probationers after their passing-out parade at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad on Thursday.

HYDERABAD: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said here on Thursday that the nation should be concerned more about internal security than external aggression, as it faced not just a single over-arching threat but a multitude of dangers.

Internal problems, he said, were not confined to one State and often encompassed many. To tackle them there was need for not only improved coordination among the States but also new modes of cooperation, using the best technologies and management skills.

Dr. Singh was addressing the 58th batch of Indian Police Service (IPS) probationers after inspecting a passing-out parade at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy.

Describing terrorism as "the most dangerous threat today," he said it had become "a hydra-headed monster" from an occasional footnote. "There are several strains of terrorism present; and you will need to keep abreast of the dangers. Today's terrorists are most sophisticated and have trans-national linkages and adequate resources. Both knowledge and determination are required to succeed against these elements."

In some instances, there was an external dimension to the internal threat. IPS recruits should gear up to meet this challenge, he said.

As some of them would be posted to the north-east, Jammu and Kashmir and some States where naxalities were active, he said the officers must appreciate the nuances of each situation, understand the reasons for disaffection and handle the problem sensitively.

The nation's rapid march was giving rise to tensions, which were inevitable in a poor country trying to modernise itself. The public administration must gain an in-depth knowledge of rural problems and pay special attention to controlling caste-based violence and atrocities on the weaker sections.

Dr. Singh drew the probationers' attention to rising organised crime, including the white-collar variety in large cities. However, the police should not ignore their basic functions while fighting high-profile crime.

They must create an atmosphere of security among all citizens, especially the older ones leading lonely lives in cities, women and children.

The recruits must transform the police image, rise above parochial considerations and strive to remove the feudal vestiges in the services, where lower-level staff were treated like menials.

Paying rich tributes to Sardar Patel, Dr. Singh said he was among the tallest builders of modern India and its federal polity.

Seventy-eight probationers, including four from Bhutan and three from the Maldives, participated in the passing-out parade.

Dr. Singh presented the Prime Minister's Baton and the Home Ministry's Revolver for the best all-round probationer to Nishant Kumar Tiwary of Bihar and the Bhubananda Misra Memorial Trophy for the second best all-round probationer to Maninder Pratap Singh Pawar of Gujarat.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Union Minister for Urban Development S. Jaipal Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Governor Rameshwar Thakur, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal and National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan were present.

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