Police can’t work independently under political govt: IGP

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Nur Mohammad yesterday called for police investigation and inquiry into cases without interference of the government .
Operational independence of the police will help carry out investigation into cases smoothly and fairly, he said while talking to reporters after attending a programme . The programme on ” Findings Dissemination Session on Public Attitude Follow-up Survey of Police Reform Programme ( PRP)” was held Hotel Sheraton. It was organised by the Home Ministry.
“Police are a part of the administration and their performances depend on how the government uses them,” the IGP said adding ” but we want to conduct investigation independently”.
Replying to a question, the IGP said the present government still has not influenced the police investigations.
Former adviser to the caretaker government ASM Shahjahan, Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder, DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque, RAB director general Hasan Mahmud Khandaker, UNDP country director Stefan Priesner and PRP project manager Michael Glenane, among others, attended the function chaired by PRP National Project Director and additional IGP (admin & ops) Naba Bikram Kumar Tripura.
The PRP survey team of the Data Management Aid presented the survey findings.
Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder told reporters that the draft of the Bangladesh Police Ordinance 2007 has been submitted to the government for vetting.
“The proposed Ordinance is supposed to replace the Police Act of 1861, seen as a major stumbling block to modernisation and transformation of police into a force capable of meeting the contemporary challenges and providing support and services to the people,” he said.
When asked when the ordinance would be passed, the Home Secretary said the government is seriously thinking about the ordinance and “it will be passed in course of time.”
He informed that the development partners have committed to provide fund for the next five years of phase-II of the PRP starting from October 2009.
“We have already prepared the Project Document (Prodoc) and Technical Assistance Project Proforma (TAPP) of the Phase-II of PRP keeping in mind the needs or demands of the police service,” he said.
Stefan Priesner, country director of UNDP, emphasised the importance of a modern law to govern police and appreciated the activities of the Anti -Corruption Commission in curbing corruption in the society.
Speaking on the occasion, former adviser ASM Shahjahan said the police reform would be impractical without the political and administrative reformation in the country.
Shahjahan, also a former IGP, urged the Police Department to remain above influence and undue interference of some quarters.
Additional IGP NBK Tripura said a number of policy-legal reforms were initiated during 2007-08 under PRP for transforming Bangladesh Police into a people oriented organisation.
He said the proposed Evidence Act is expected to bring about significant changes in the way, in which evidence is collected, presented and evaluated in criminal and civil court proceedings.
On effective use of ICT, Tripura said: “Bangladesh Police Information Management Strategy (BPIMS) has been developed covering organisational and system requirements to make better use of ICT resources.”
In 2006, a ‘Public Attitude Baseline Survey’ was conducted to document the pre-intervention situation of the public perception towards the police service.
A Public Attitude Follow-up Survey was undertaken in late 2008 to measure the changes with respect to the baseline situation.
Tripura informed that the Bangladesh Police Crime Prevention Strategy (CPS) has been drafted and is currently being reviewed.
“The strategy is based on a fundamentally new approach which requires Bangladesh Police to assume wider responsibilities with the emphasis from reactive ‘crime control’ to proactive ‘crime prevention’,” he informed.
The PRP is a long-term and comprehensive capacity building initiative to improve human security in Bangladesh with technical and financial support from UNDP and other development partners like British donor agency DFID and the European Commission.

Courtesy of The New Nation