Nazrul Islam
The Awami League-led alliance government is considering ways to restore professionalism in the police department which it thinks was politicised by the past government.
‘The government will do everything necessary to infuse professionalism into the police force. Their performances will be taken into consideration, nothing else’, the state minister for home affairs, Tanjim Ahmed Sohel Taj told New Age on Monday.
Restoring professionalism in the police without depoliticising it will be difficult, the state minister said accusing the previous BNP-led alliance government of using the police force for political gains.
Considering the size of the country’s population, the number of the police personnel could be increased for the sake of public safety, he said.
‘It is important to increase the size of the police force and improve their basic amenities in order to get better service from them,’ Tanjim said adding that the government’s plan was to build a modern police force.
The number of police personnel is slightly higher than 120,000 who are paid poor salaries though they are under considerable strain of various assignments. The minimum salary in the police force is less than Tk 3,000, according to available statistics.
The police force’s duties range from tackling crimes and investigating cases to managing traffic, political demonstrations and highway patrol among many other tasks. A good number of them remain engaged in VIP protection.
The image of the police, whose mission is ‘to provide service to all citizens and make Bangladesh a better and safer place to live in’, is still negative.
Admitting the fact, the junior minister said that the AL-led alliance government would also try to restore their image. ‘Our mission is to make them pro-people.’
About the plan for more recruitment in the police force, Tanjim said that his ministry had started initial work on it. The matter depends on funds. ‘Our demand is huge, but we also have to think about the budget.’
Asked whether the government would launch investigation into the extrajudicial killings by the elite Rapid Action Battalion, the state minister said that his government was very sensitive about human rights.
‘We will ensure that the forces are respectful to human rights,’ he said referring to the fact that there were no incidents of the so-called crossfire since the new government assumed office on January 6.
Courtesy: newagebd.com
