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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that "communication and sensitivity" are necessary to improve the image of the police, and that is why there is a need to sensitise all police personnel as well as increase communication and public contact.

Shah was speaking while interacting with the Probationary Officers of the 72nd Batch of the Indian Police Service (IPS) through video conferencing.

"It is very difficult to gather information about crime without public contact, therefore police officers of the level of Superintendent of Police and Deputy Superintendent of Police should go to Tehsils and villages and meet people and stay overnight. Along with this, they should also interact with the people living under the jurisdiction of important police stations in their area," Shah said.

Talking about police action, the Union Home Minister said, "There are allegations of no action and extreme action against the police. The police should avoid these and move towards just action. Just action means natural action and police should understand the law and do the right thing."

Talking about need of 'All India Service', he said, "When the country became independent, there was a lot of debate about All India Services and at that time Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had said that if we do not have a good All India Service, then the Union will end and India will not be united. Therefore, all of you have to always remember that it is your responsibility to strengthen the federal structure and maintain the integrity of the country."

Emphasising on the need for scientific investigation, the minister said that the more scientific and evidence-based investigations will be, the less the need for manpower. He advised that police officers should start such a project in which the available manpower can be better and more optimally utilised.

"The Modi government has taken several steps in the direction of scientific investigation, under which the National Raksha Shakti University was established last year and the National Forensic Science University was also established to take investigations forward from the crime scene to the courtroom," he said.

Shah pointed out that voters, elected representatives and the bureaucracy together complete the structure of democracy.

"People's representatives are elected for a term of five years while government officials serve for 30 to 35 years. Probationary police officers are an important part of democracy and the constitutional system. They will have to be sensitive towards the concerns of the poor, backward, Dalits and tribal people and work for the progress of the country," he said.