A lot of hue and cry has been going on since 5 August 2024 about reforming the law and order forces of Bangladesh while most of the spotlight is being vectored on the country’s police force. Glaring questions have come up about what police force actually learns during their professional trainings!
Political will is very important because it is at the level of the government where law is established, and it is essential to evaluate this aspect while considering the subject of human rights and the role of police. Police force is mandated to act in accordance with the law that establishes the conditions in which they operate. The police service should broadly reflect the society from which it comes. The service should be in touch with the public it policies. In Bangladesh public confidence will increase when the police complaints system will provide for an external body to supervise an investigation, or to review the evidence and conclusions drawn by police investigations, especially when this body shall have the power and the will to carry out an impartial review and order a reinvestigation if necessary.
In Australia and Britain, statutory bodies have been established to oversee internal investigations of complaints against police personnel. In those countries there exists a review board with non-police community representatives to make decisions on the disposition of the complaints. The society as a whole is deeply concerned with the standard of behaviour such as police integrity, the manner in which incidents are generally handled including the amount of force it finds acceptable and unacceptable in carrying out police duties and the interpersonal skills used by police in their dealings with the public. It has a right to have its voice heard, and the requirements of society with the regard to policing method and standard must be satisfied.
The need for an innovative approach in our police management perhaps merits consideration at this point of time. Can we examine the whole problem of law and order from a sociological angle? In Bangladesh, political manipulation, especially between 1991 - 2006, led to decline in discipline and senior officers were often unable to control undisciplined juniors with political connections. A situation developed wherein intrusion of politics into matters of police management led to solicitation of further political influence. Pervasive disillusionment, loss of pride and collegiality was the result. The establishment has to realize and appreciate that politicization of the police, its unaccountability to the people and its outdated managerial practices largely result from lack of professionalism and accountability within the organization.
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