BPR&D; committed to strengthening police forces under 'SMART' policing initiative: Home secretary

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) The Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) remains committed to strengthening India's police forces in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'SMART' policing vision, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan said on Friday.

Delivering the Anand Swaroop Gupta Memorial Lecture here on the 55th foundation day of the BPR&D, Mohan underlined the three critical dimensions of the evolving role of the agency that comes under the home ministry.

These are BPR&D's emergence as a robust think tank addressing complex policing challenges, its leadership in training and capacity building through CDTIs and CAPTs, and its outreach to states to bridge the gap between policy and practice, particularly in monitoring the implementation of the new criminal laws, he said.

In line with the 'SMART' policing vision and under the guidance of Home Minister Amit Shah, the BPR&D remains committed to strengthening India's police forces, he said.

The SMART policing idea was introduced by the prime minister at the DGPs conference in Guwahati in 2014. It envisaged systemic changes to transform the Indian Police to be: Strict and Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Techno-savvy and Trained (SMART).

The home secretary noted that BPR&D's close monitoring of police reforms reflects its transformative role in law enforcement. He emphasised that the BPR&D will play a vital role in police reforms by transforming itself into a think tank organisation.

Mohan also released the BPR&D's publications, namely, National Police Research Repository - Volume III, Directory of Prison Officials in India - 2025, and Compendium of Projects - Volumes VII, VIII and IX (15 projects completed under various Micro Missions, 2021-2025).

He also felicitated recipients of the President's Police Medal for Distinguished Service and the Police Medal for Meritorious Service for 2024 and 2025.

Earlier, in his welcome address, Director General of the BPR&D, Alok Ranjan, reflected on the bureau's five-and-a-half decades of service as a think tank for research, police reforms, capacity building and modernisation. PTI ACB RHL