Md Joynal Abedin Khan :
Members of the Detective Branch (DB) of Police and other law enforcing agencies have been asked to wear fixed uniform of the force and show their identity cards and necessary documents to suspected criminals or their relatives during detention from their residence, workplace and anywhere in the country, police sources said.
The Police Headquarters (PHQs) has taken this decision as some miscreants have been taking the chance by impersonating them as members of detectives or other law enforcing agencies for a long time to commit crimes across the country, they said.
The community police are also trying to clarify the symptoms of fake detectives to the common people as they identify the fake detective men during any arrest drive or untoward incident.
Even some members of law enforcing agencies sometimes take extortion money and commit other crimes hiding their real identities to escape from the offenses, according to them.
The gangsters, mostly wearing law enforcers’ uniforms and introducing themselves as members of detective police, kidnap innocent people as well as businessmen and realise handsome amount of money from them or from their families in exchange of their freedom, they further said.
On October 25, 2017, authorities have suspended seven detectives for allegedly kidnapping a businessman in Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar, said Afjurul Hoque Tutul, Additional Superintendent of Police in the district.
On July 18, 2017, 12 men, posing as members of the DB of Police, have been detained
in Dhaka with weapons and other equipment used by law-enforcement officials, police said.
Police’s high ups have already issued necessary instructions to stop such crimes, including extortion and torturing during the detention of people, Soheli Ferdous, Assistant Inspector General (Media and Public Relations) of Police Headquarters, told The New Nation on Sunday evening.
“We have great respect to the court directives in connection with the arrest drives under section 54 of the CrPC,” she said.
All the police personnel, mainly members of detective branch (DB), have been instructed to show their identity cards and to put on uniform or jacket to carry out any drive, the AIG said.
“Every citizen has right to check the identity card and other documents of DB men. If he or she raises any confusion over the cops personnel then he or she has been urged to inform the matter to local police stations or IGP’s (Inspector General of Police) national help line ‘999’ for immediate action,” she added.
Earlier, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kalam has said that the law enforcement agencies would follow the directives of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
He said, “Security forces produced everyone in court within 24 hours of detention. I am not aware of any exception.”
Earlier, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court on November 10, 2016 released the full text of its verdict with 19 guidelines that upheld a High Court order for reform of the provisions of arrest without warrant and interrogation on remand under sections 54 and 167 of the CrPC.
It also asked the Inspector General of Police and Director General of RAB to issue a circular with the 19 guidelines for their respective units and all police stations across the country.
On May 24, the Supreme Court upheld a High Court order that asked for the reform of the provisions of arrest without warrant and interrogation on remand under sections 54 and 167 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
With the SC judgment, the HC directives will have to be followed while arresting anyone under section 54 and putting anyone on remand under section 167.
