Southern States should strengthen intelligence-sharing, operational coordination: Telangana CM

Southern States should strengthen intelligence-sharing, operational coordination: Telangana CM left Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Director General of Police (DGP) C.V. Anand, DGPs of Southern states and other senior officers at the Southern Regional Police Coordination Committee meeting in Hyderabad on Friday, (October 23, 2026) NAGARA GOPAL The Hindu NAGARA GOPAL Hyderabad, Telangana, 23/10/2026: Telangana Chief Minister A.

Revanth Reddy, Director General of Police (DGP) C.V. Anand, DGPs of southern states and other senior officers participating in the Southern Regional Police Coordination Committee meeting in Hyderabad on Friday, October 23, 2026, The meeting was aimed at strengthening inter-state coordination and tackling cross-border crimes like cybercrime, drug trafficking and terrorism. Directors General of Police and Inspectors-General from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, besides representatives from the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep, participated in the deliberations.

Photo: NAGARA GOPAL / The Hindu Police chiefs from five southern States and three Union Territories discuss intelligence-sharing and policing reforms as Telangana offers to share its technological infrastructure HYDERABAD Calling for a united front against criminal networks operating across State borders, Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Friday (October 23, 2026) urged southern States to strengthen intelligence-sharing and operational coordination, stressing that no State could effectively combat crime in isolation.

Inaugurating the Southern States’ Police Coordination Committee meeting at the Telangana Integrated Command and Control Centre (TGICCC) in Hyderabad, the Chief Minister offered to share Telangana’s technological infrastructure and policing practices with neighbouring States to tackle cybercrime, narcotics trafficking and organised crime. The meeting brought together senior police officials from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, besides representatives from the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep, and central investigating and security agencies.

“It is your responsibility to make South India safer and bring crime to the lowest possible levels by developing strong mechanisms for cross-border coordination between police headquarters,” the Chief Minister said at the gathering. He urged the participating police chiefs to formulate a comprehensive action plan to improve coordination between police headquarters, emphasising that emerging challenges such as cybercrime, narcotics and traffic management required specialised training, technology and cooperation.

Telangana’s fight against cybercrime, narcotics Highlighting Telangana’s policing reforms, the Chief Minister said the State had secured the top position in tackling cybercrime performance during the Prime Minister’s PRAGATI review, while the Elite Action Group for Drug Law Enforcement (EAGLE) had scored over 80% in the Union government’s assessment of anti-narcotics efforts. He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah had congratulated Telangana police officers for making the State completely free of Naxal violence.

The Telangana Cyber Security Bureau had also established new standards in recovering money lost by victims of cyber fraud. The Chief Minister highlighted the establishment of specialised agencies, including EAGLE, HYDRAA and TG-SAFE, to address emerging challenges. While HYDRAA protected and rejuvenated lakes and other water bodies besides safeguarding public properties, TG-SAFE was established on the lines of the United States Food and Drug Administration to strengthen food and drug regulation.

He also referred to the recruitment of transgender persons as Traffic Assistants in Hyderabad, describing it as a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country, and highlighted the administrative benefits of dividing policing responsibilities among the Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates. On police welfare, he said the government had established the Young India Police School to provide quality education to children of police personnel — from Home Guards to the Director General of Police — with standards comparable to leading Sainik Schools.

The government had also enhanced ex-gratia compensation for police personnel killed in the line of duty to between ₹1 crore and ₹2 crore, depending on rank, besides providing housing plots to bereaved families and compassionate appointments to eligible family members. Maintaining that efficient, ethical and impartial policing was the first expectation of citizens, the Chief Minister said resources allocated to police modernisation and welfare should be viewed as an investment in public safety rather than expenditure.

left Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Director General of Police (DGP) C.V. Anand, DGPs of southern States and other senior officers participating in the Southern Regional Police Coordination Committee meeting in Hyderabad on Friday (October 23, 2026) NAGARA GOPAL The Hindu NAGARA GOPAL Hyderabad, Telangana, 23/10/2026: Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Director General of Police (DGP) C.V.

Anand, DGPs of southern states and other senior officers participating in the Southern Regional Police Coordination Committee meeting in Hyderabad on Friday, October 23, 2026, The meeting was aimed at strengthening inter-state coordination and tackling cross-border crimes like cybercrime, drug trafficking and terrorism. Directors General of Police and Inspectors-General from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala, besides representatives from the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep, participated in the deliberations.

Photo: NAGARA GOPAL / The Hindu Cyber fraud losses dwarf conventional crimes: Telangana DGP Telangana Director General of Police C. V. Anand …