Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday said the changing nature of crime required the police to constantly evolve their methods, strengthen technology integration and focus on the “golden hour” immediately after a crime is committed.Addressing a virtual meeting of the police officers, from the DGP to the Station House Officer, Mr. Naidu said protecting evidence at the crime scene and acting swiftly were crucial to successful investigations.Around 1,650 officers from nearly 1,200 police stations, including law and order, traffic and GRP personnel, participated.The State had integrated 14,770 government CCTV cameras with privately installed cameras, taking the network to about one lakh cameras, he said. Facial recognition and DNA-based detection were also being increasingly used in investigations.“We are moving forward by correcting shortcomings in maintaining law and order. Peace and security are essential for people to live peacefully and for investments to come into the State,” the Chief Minister said.Mr. Naidu called for zero tolerance towards crimes against women, and urged police to secure crime scenes and act swiftly.Referring to the Y.S. Vivekananda Reddy murder case, he termed lapses in preserving evidence a “costly mistake” and cautioned against any leniency towards criminals.The Chief Minister said that political parties had no licence to violate the law or cause inconvenience to the public in the name of rallies or condolence visits.He said even a small lapse in maintaining law and order could leave a stain on the entire police system. Referring to recent incidents involving political rallies, he questioned the need for motorcycle stunts on public roads during a political party programme at Ibrahimpatnam.He said there had also been situations in which police personnel were attacked while performing their duties.“Whatever the political party, there can be no permission for stunts on public roads. It is the responsibility of all political parties to ensure that their activities do not inconvenience the public,” he said.Mr. Naidu said political leaders could not expect to be let off merely because they belonged to a political party. He alleged that 94% of those currently creating disturbances on roads belonged to one particular party.He clarified that visiting people to offer condolences was not wrong, but said large-scale road demonstrations during such visits caused serious inconvenience.Mr. Naidu said the government would provide police personnel complete freedom to discharge their duties and take steps to enhance their dignity and respect. He said an “invisible police, visible policing” approach should be adopted to strengthen public confidence.He also directed police to intensify action against ganja, drugs and social media-driven criminal activity, and called for wider promotion of the “Drugs Vaddhu Bro” campaign.Mr. Naidu said Andhra Pradesh should emerge as the best State in law and order. Police should publicise successful investigations and improve conviction rates, while implementing friendly policing in full.He directed the department to release a monthly police performance report, highlighting best practices and successful cases. Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha, DGP Harish Kumar Gupta and other senior officials attended the meeting. Published - August 13, 2026 04:44 am IST
