Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday told Indian Police Service probationers that the spirit of 'Nation First, Always First' should be reflected in every action of theirs and they should also work towards changing the negative perception of the force among people.

He urged the IPS probationers to keep national interest in mind and have a national perspective while taking decisions when they are in the field.

"You have to always remember that you are the flag bearers of 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat' too," Modi said.

"Therefore, the spirit of Nation First, Always First, should be reflected in your every action," the prime minister said addressing the IPS probationers at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy via video-conferencing.

Modi said the negative perception of the police among the people is a big challenge in itself.

This perception changed a bit during the beginning of the coronavirus period when people saw police personnel helping out, but the situation has again gone back to the old perception, he said.

"Our police personnel even sacrifice their lives for security of the country, maintaining law and order and for fighting terrorism. They are unable to go home for days, they are unable to go home even during festivals but when it comes to the police's image, people's perception is different," he said.

It is the responsibility of the new generation coming into the police force that this image changes and this negative perception of the police goes away, Modi said.

The prime minister said in the last 75 years, India has tried to build a better police service and police training infrastructure has also improved a lot in recent years.

"The way the youth of the country came forward in the country between 1930 and 1947, the whole young generation got united for one goal, today the same sentiment is expected from you," Modi told the IPS probationers.

"At that time the people of the country fought for 'swaraj', today you have to move forward for 'surajya' (good governance). You are starting your career at a time when India is going through a phase of transformation in every field, every level," he said.

"The coming 25 years of your career are also going to be the most important 25 years of India's development. That's why your preparation, your mental state, should be in line with this big goal," he said.

Modi also interacted with the probationers during the event. Union Home Minister Amit Shah also participated in the function.

The Hyderabad-based academy is the premier police training institution in the country. It trains officers of the Indian Police Service at induction level and conducts various in-service courses for the serving IPS officers.