Lucknow – Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday hailed the state’s remarkable transformation in law and order, policing efficiency, and public perception since his government assumed office in 2017. Speaking at the inauguration of ‘Police Manthan’, a two-day conference of senior police officers at the state police headquarters, Adityanath lauded the strides made in modernizing Uttar Pradesh Police and shared his vision for “Smart Policing” across the state.

“The Uttar Pradesh Police has established a sense of fear among criminals and respect among citizens. Policing has shifted from being reactive to proactive and predictive,” the Chief Minister said, highlighting how law enforcement in the state has become more technologically advanced and citizen-focused over the last eight-and-a-half years.

Adityanath noted that decisive progress has been made in recruitment, training, infrastructure, cyber security, forensic capabilities, and the implementation of the police commissionerate system. He emphasized that while training capacities were previously limited, the state now trains over 60,000 constables annually. Other institutional developments include the establishment of cyber stations in all 75 districts, 12 forensic science laboratories, and a dedicated forensic university, reflecting a comprehensive approach to crime prevention and investigation.

Director General of Police Rajiv Krishna echoed the Chief Minister’s remarks, stating that the event underscored the leadership’s commitment to addressing policing challenges. He highlighted the transformative journey of the state since 2017, emphasizing the “Zero Tolerance” policy and the government’s focus on delivering responsive, citizen-first services.

As part of the conference, Adityanath inaugurated the AI-based ‘YAKSH’ app, a digital beat book designed to strengthen policing and preventive law enforcement. Using artificial intelligence and big data analytics, the app maintains comprehensive records on crimes, criminals, and sensitive areas. It features station-wise offender databases, beat-level verification, AI-based suspect identification, voice search, gang-link analysis, and movement alerts, simplifying the daily work of beat personnel and enabling more effective policing.

The conference, which will conclude on Sunday, includes 11 thematic sessions covering a wide range of policing challenges, from cybercrime and human trafficking to social media monitoring. Discussions on women-related crimes, child protection, and human trafficking featured prominently, with Additional Director General of Police Padmaja Chauhan presenting key initiatives such as Mission Shakti centres, awareness programmes, family dispute resolution clinics, and reforms in law enforcement pertaining to sexual assault cases.

Other presentations included the Bahu-Beti Sammelan initiative by ADG Gorakhpur Zone Ashok Mutha Jain, updates on police station management and upgradation, and the Smart SHO Dashboard, which allows station house officers to monitor complaints, crimes, and staff performance on a single platform. The dashboard is expected to enhance grievance redressal, reduce pendency, improve accountability, and streamline traffic management and crime monitoring.

Additional sessions highlighted capacity-building measures, including coordination with the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre and Cyber Help Desks, health and welfare initiatives for police personnel and families, online training through the i-GOT portal, and women empowerment initiatives under Vamasarathi. Digitization of jails, AI-based CCTV surveillance, health ATMs, video conferencing for court testimonies, and data-driven policing through e-FIRs, Zero FIRs, e-Summons, and e-Sakshya were also discussed as part of modernizing law enforcement in the state.

Adityanath emphasized that the conference replaces the traditional annual “Police Week” to focus on outcome-oriented brainstorming sessions, with the objective of fostering people-centric policing and developing a technology-driven, modern policing system to ensure swift and effective action against crime and criminals.

The Chief Minister’s remarks and the initiatives presented at the conference underscore Uttar Pradesh’s ongoing effort to enhance public safety, leverage technology in policing, and build a law enforcement system that is responsive, accountable, and proactive in addressing emerging challenges.