Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review country's security with top police brass

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will review security situation in the country with top police officers next week at a high-level conference which will focus on growing activities of terror groups and Naxal violence.

Recent violence in Assam and subsequent exodus of north eastern people from different parts of the country, illegal activities in cyber world, increased infiltration attempts from across the Indo-Pak border and ongoing operations against Maoists will be high on the agenda during the three- day conference beginning here on September 6.

The Prime Minister and Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde will also deliberate with DGPs and IGPs from all states, union territories and central security agencies on ways to combat terror and other emerging threats, strengthening of counter terrorism capabilities like possibility of setting up of National Counter Terrorism Centre ( NCTC) and enhancing border and coastal security.

Activities of Pakistan-based terror groups, enhancing intelligence capabilities and situation in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast will also be deliberated threadbare, official sources said.

The meeting will review the information gathering mechanism -- both human and technical intelligence, their proper sharing and necessary action, ways to deal with economic offences, especially fake currency notes, modernisation of police force, procurement of arms and ammunition and filling up of police vacancies, particularly at the constabulary level.

The recent Pune serial blasts may figure prominently in the discussions, the source said. Top police officials are expected to take stock of the growing activities of some terrorist groups, the said.

This will be the first major meeting Shinde will attend after he took charge of the Home Ministry.

He may also unfold his plan of action as the Home Minister and focus on ways to deal with the major internal security issues the country is currently facing, the source said.