A REPORT published in The New Nation on Wednesday said field-level senior police officials have demanded setting up an independent police division in the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring more dynamism in the police department. They came up with the idea at a meeting with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and Senior Home Secretary Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan at Rajarbagh Police Lines Auditorium. Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Hoque and other top police officials were also present. It was part of Police Week-2016 activities when senior officials hear the suggestions of the field level officers.
There is already a draft law prepared during the last caretaker government to allow police sufficient autonomy for enforcement of law without political influence and impartially.
It appears that the suggestion makes sense and deserves consideration. Because every one believes that dynamism must be achieved at any cost in the police force and if the setting up of a new division will be able to contributes to shake up the service with changed attitudes at all levels, police must get it. Since all the big bosses of the police force from the minister to the IGP were present on the occasion, they are better informed of what the police want to get. Now they can appraise the suggestion at expert level to make the choice. What is noticeable is that people want rapid change in the behaviour of police and want to see that they will not victimize people and torture them in the streets. They will not go for toll collection and harass people under any pretext.
The statement of the IGP few days back also made known to us how he is trying to bring reforms in the force’s outlook asking them how to treat people and deal the cases without resorting to torture and violence. Now it appears that field level police officers also want change in their administrative set up to bring change downward.
In fact reform in our police service is long overdue which requires extensive training and change in their outlook from the role of torturer of the colonial era to peacekeeper in an independent nation when police will not shoot on anybody on any excuse. We believe that modernizing police will require long planning and the reorganization of the department of police into a full fledged division may be the right step in the right direction.
It appears that party politics is doing the worst harm to our police service making them as footman of ruling party men who encourage police to be torturer instead of becoming friends of the masses. It is the responsibility of senior police officers to keep police within their mandated jobs and not to become party activists. In our view if the creation of an independent police division suggests independence of police in works and thinking, let it be set up soon.
