Hyderabad, Voicing concern over worrying bout of communal violence in some parts of the country, President Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday favoured strengthening the ability of local administration to quell such tensions in the initial stages.

These are challenging times for our police forces. There has been a worrying bout of communal violence in some parts of our country, accompanied by deterioration in inter-community relations.

There is need to strengthen the ability of our district and local administration to notice such tensions in their initial stages and take necessary measures to contain them quickly, the President said. Mukherjee was speaking at the passing outside parade of IPS probationers at the Sardar Vallabhai Patel National Police Academy in Hyderabad.

The President also noted that India continues to be targeted by terrorism from abroad besides threats from within to internal security. The government is committed to dealing with Left-wing extremism in a comprehensive manner. It is pursuing a two-pronged approach of conducting pro-active and sustained operations against extremists and focusing attention on development and governance issues in extremist affected areas, he said.

The country must meet these challenges head on, he said, adding the actions of our police forces must respect the human rights of the people and the letter and spirit of our constitution. Noting that India's first Home Minister had created the All-India Services with great expectations, he said Patel had wanted civil servants to maintain utmost impartiality and incorruptability in administration.

Patel had also advised civil servants not to take part in politics and not involve themselves in communal wrangles, he said.Mukherjee said he was happy that the participants in the parade include four officers from the Royal Bhutan Police Service, three from the Maldives Police Service and five from the Nepal Police Service. He said the bonds forged during the training will further strengthen relations between India's friendly nations.

The President said, his vision of the police for future is not that of only a law enforcing body, but of a pro-active service provider, a partner in growth, development and peace. He advised police officers to ensure that grievances of the common man are redressed. This would require a change of role of the police from a reactive to a pro-active agency, which, in partnership with other stakeholders, will create a peaceful and secure atmosphere conducive to the growth and prosperity of the nation.

He noted that the public forms an opinion about the quality of governance based on the response and efficiency of policemen at the grassroots level. Terming the police constables as the visible face of Government, he said enough attention should be paid for their training and development and improvement in their service conditions; and inculcating in them the highest degree of discipline, integrity and commitment is absolutely necessary.