Bhopal, April 22: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday called for reforms in policing practices across the country and also spoke about the revival of the Khabri (informer) system. "It's imperative that police have to be ahead of the criminals, they have to become tech-savvy. Until knowledge of technology percolates to a constable level, we won't be able to tackle modern-day criminals," said the Union Home Minister while inaugurating the 48th all India police science congress meet.

Stressing the importance of collaboration among police forces from different states, Shah said there is a need for a comprehensive policy. "Drugs, hawala, and cyber frauds are among some of the challenges which every state police faces. I request the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPRND) to discuss a comprehensive policy to fight crimes witnessed across the country in this session,"

He further said, "There is a need to revive the Khabri system and I am using the word revive, after giving it much thought." A Khabri (informer) acts as the eyes and ears of police officers in sensitive places. They are officially not part of any government organization. They are common members of societies and communities they live in and provide essential information to police officials to fight crimes, solve cases and make pre-emptive strategies. Amit Shah Likely to Arrive in West Bengal on Three-Day Visit on May 4.

Shah's statement comes days after Parliament passed the Criminal Procedure (Identification) Bill, 2022 which lays emphasis on the use of technology in policing. The bill provides for legal sanction for taking appropriate body measurements (finger impressions, palm-print and foot-print impressions, photographs, iris and retina scan, physical, and biological samples) of persons who are required to give such measurements to "make the investigation of crime more efficient and expeditious".

It also seeks to empower the National Crime Records Bureau to collect, store and preserve the record of measurements and for sharing, dissemination, destruction and disposal of records. It also empowers a magistrate to direct any person to give measurements and empowers police or prison officers to take measurements of any person who resists or refuses to give measurements.

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