Raipur, June 2 (IANS) Home Minister P. Chidambaram Wednesday admitted that the country has insufficient police stations and an ill-equipped police force but stressed that policing a country in a troubled neighbourhood makes the task more difficult.

"Policing a country of over 1.1 billion people is not an easy task. Policing a country in a troubled neighbourhood makes the task more difficult. And policing a country with insufficient police stations and inadequate and ill-equipped police force makes the task almost formidable," Chidambaram said in his inaugural speech at the 40th All India Police Science Congress here.

The three-day congress that opened at a hotel here will extensively discuss several issues, though terrorism and left-wing extremism will be the prime focus.

The event, organised by the Bureau of Police Research and Development, New Delhi, in association with the Chhattisgarh Police, will also discuss modernisation of police and use of data-management in the system.