PANAJI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday presented the prestigious President’s Colour to the Goa Police at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Bambolim, describing the honour as recognition of the force’s eight decades of “glorious service”, professional excellence, courage, discipline and dedication.
Addressing the ceremony, Shah said the President’s Colour was a matter of immense pride for the Goa Police and the country. “Presenting the prestigious President’s Colour to the Goa Police is a matter of great pride for me as well, because today, the eight decades of glorious service of the Goa Police stand in the line of police forces across the country, adorned with the emblem presented by the President,” Shah said.
He said Goa, despite being a small state, has immense strategic significance, with the Goa Police entrusted with maintaining safe cities and communities as well as securing the state’s maritime borders. “The Goa Police has been entrusted with the responsibilities of a safe city, safe community, and safe maritime borders,” Shah said, adding that the force had fulfilled these responsibilities excellently since the formation of Goa and made a significant contribution to national security.
Referring to Goa’s coastline, Shah said the security of nearly 600 km of coastline rested on the shoulders of the Goa Police. He also credited the force with balancing security requirements with the needs of tourism and economic development. Shah particularly praised Goa Police for its technology-driven approach to tackling emerging crimes. He said the growing digital economy had also brought an increasing threat of cyber fraud and described the national 1930 helpline as a major protective shield against such crimes. “Goa Police has gone a step ahead by launching an AI-based call agent for the 1930 helpline. Goa Police is one step ahead of other Indian states in this regard,” Shah said.
He praised the decision to make the AI-based service capable of registering complaints in multiple Indian languages, saying this would benefit both Goans and the large number of tourists visiting the state. Shah also lauded the Goa Police for significantly improving its emergency response time under the 112 system. He said the response time, which was earlier 18 minutes, had been reduced to eight minutes, with the force responding to nearly 20,000 calls. “I want to congratulate the Goa Police once again because by reducing it from 18 minutes to 8 minutes, you have taken a massive leap in public service,” Shah said.
He expressed confidence that with additional vehicles and two-wheelers, the response time could be brought below six minutes. Shah also described Goa’s Tourist Police Wing as a model for other tourism-dependent states. Shah said Goa Police had also performed strongly in implementing the three new criminal laws introduced to overhaul the criminal justice system. According to Shah, Goa Police had ranked first nationally for several months in implementing the new judicial codes and currently stood second with a 93.38% implementation rate across nine parameters.
He also claimed that Goa Police had increased its conviction rate by 30% in one year, from 23% to 53%. “Today, I want to inform the citizens of Goa that in just one year, the Goa Police has increased its conviction rate by 30%. This is a massive achievement,” Shah said. He added that Goa Police had secured the second position nationally in dealing with crimes against young girls and women.
Shah said the Ministry of Home Affairs had prepared a 2026-29 roadmap for a decisive battle against narcotics and drug abuse, involving central departments and state governments. He called upon Goa Police to take a leading role in the campaign. “I expect the Goa Police to lead the nation in combatting narcotics and to stand first in the country. This is both my expectation and my request to you,” Shah said. He also urged the Goa Police to prepare for the 2029 World Police and Fire Games, which will be hosted by India, and asked the force to excel in sports and contribute significantly to India’s medal tally.
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant described the presentation of the President’s Colour as a historic milestone for the Goa Police. “Today, Goa has become the 15th state in India to be honoured with the President’s Colour,” Sawant said.
He said the honour recognised generations of police officers and staff who had served Goa, as well as their families and police personnel who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Sawant said the President’s Colour should be viewed as a new beginning rather than an endpoint.
“I do not see a finishing line; I see a starting point,” he said, setting out the government’s ambition for Goa Police to become “number one” in technology, road safety, crime detection, women and child safety, coastal security and in earning the trust of Goans.
Goa DGP Alok Kumar said the President’s Colour was the highest honour bestowed upon a police force and represented recognition of the Goa Police’s dedication, discipline, courage and professional conduct. “For the Goa Police, this is not just a formal honour. It is the recognition of our journey and the honour of the dedication of generations of police personnel,” Kumar said.
He said Goa’s status as a major tourist destination brought unique policing responsibilities, ranging from law and order and crime investigation to traffic management, women’s safety, coastal security, cybercrime, narcotics control, disaster relief and tourist safety. He added that Goa Police was adapting to emerging challenges while maintaining the core policing values of honesty, impartiality, empathy and respect for the rule of law. Kumar paid tribute to police personnel who had made the supreme sacrifice and acknowledged the contribution of police families in enabling personnel to discharge their duties.
He said the President’s Colour would also bring greater responsibility to every member of the force. “The President’s Colour will always remind us that responsibility must go hand-in-hand with honour, recognition with performance, and continuous excellence with tradition,” he said.
Kumar dedicated the honour to serving and retired personnel, police families and officers who had upheld the values of courage, discipline, honesty and service. “Let us reaffirm our commitment to the people of Goa and to the Constitution of India,” the DGP said, adding that Goa Police would continue to serve with courage, compassion, professionalism and an unwavering commitment to the rule of law.
