Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has asked 112 newly appointed deputy superintendents of police to prepare for cybercrime, drug offences and other emerging threats, while offering to send the officers abroad for exposure to global policing standards.
Reddy made the remarks at the valedictory ceremony of the second batch of DSPs for 2025 at the MCR HRD Institute. He said crime patterns had changed significantly and that the police would need new skills and systems to respond to threats that increasingly cross physical and administrative boundaries.
Cybercrime was highlighted as a major challenge. Reddy said people were losing money without ever seeing or meeting the perpetrators, underlining the difficulty of investigating offences that can be carried out remotely and across jurisdictions. He asked the new officers to equip themselves to deal with these changing forms of crime.
The chief minister also referred to the state’s response to drug-related offences. He said the government had introduced the Eagle Force to tackle the drug menace and was following a strict approach towards drug control. New systems had also been introduced for food safety, traffic management, drug-related offences and cybercrime, according to his remarks.
Reddy said the government was willing to send the newly appointed DSPs abroad for further studies so they could understand policing standards in other countries. He compared the proposal with the government’s practice of sending school teachers overseas to study education systems and practices.
The chief minister placed public interaction at the centre of the officers’ responsibilities. He said police personnel occupied an important position because they interacted directly with citizens, and that their decisions and feedback served as a benchmark for assessing the government’s performance. People often approached the police when they faced problems, sometimes even before turning to their parents, he said.
Reddy advised the officers to listen patiently to grievances and understand people’s circumstances before taking decisions. He also warned them against misusing official positions for personal gain, saying such conduct would not be sustainable in the long run. He urged the officers to perform their duties with integrity, compassion and responsibility while remaining connected to the socio-economic conditions from which they had come.
The ceremony also addressed the recruitment process that led to the appointments. Reddy said Telangana had not witnessed Group-I recruitment for nearly 14 years, from 2011 until 2025, creating hardship for candidates because of delays and confusion surrounding examinations under the previous government.
He said the state government had decided to overhaul the Telangana Public Service Commission after he assumed office and restructure it along the lines of the Union Public Service Commission. According to Reddy, political allegations of corruption during recruitment had created anxiety among candidates who feared losing their opportunities.
The chief minister further said the state government had approached the Supreme Court over the DSP appointments and secured them with the help of experienced legal counsel. He presented the selection of candidates from families working under the Employment Guarantee Scheme as an indication of transparency in the recruitment process.
The newly appointed officers now enter service with responsibilities spanning conventional policing and newer areas such as cybercrime, drug control, traffic management and food safety. Reddy told them that their knowledge, integrity and dedication had brought them to their positions and asked them to use those qualities in public service.
