KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 16
Home Minister Sudan Gurung has said the government is preparing legal reforms to make Nepal Police more professional, capable and technologically advanced, including through a new Police Bill.
Speaking at a programme marking the 71st Police Day on Friday, Gurung said the government was working to improve police services and facilities, with provisions for housing, healthcare, transfers and promotions to be made more systematic.
He said plans were also underway to digitise all Nepal Police offices and strengthen the use of technology in crime investigation, particularly in cybercrime, financial crime, digital forensics, DNA profiling and DNS forensics.
As crime increasingly crosses national borders, Gurung stressed the need to strengthen police capacity to investigate transnational offences. Referring to the recent BIMSTEC home ministers’ meeting in New Delhi and his talks with his Indian counterpart, he said Nepal should use regional mechanisms to improve information sharing, technology use and cooperation against cross-border crime.
The minister also called for better protection of confidential state information, warning that those who leak sensitive information should not be granted impunity.
Urging police to build public trust, Gurung said the uniform should represent hope and cooperation rather than fear. He stressed that citizen-friendly conduct, fair investigations and timely responses to complaints were essential to ensuring that people, particularly young people, felt secure in their own country.
He said risk allowances and meal expenses had been arranged for security personnel involved in disaster rescue operations, while a proposal had recently been made to increase police posts through an organisational and management survey.
Gurung said investment in police infrastructure and technology remained a priority and urged officers to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to crime while keeping citizens at the centre of their work.
He also paid tribute to police personnel who had died in the line of duty, praising officers who continued rescue operations despite losing colleagues in disasters, including the August 26 floods in Bhotekoshi, Rasuwa, and subsequent incidents in Manang, Mustang and along the Budhi Gandaki River.