Staff Reporter:
The interim government has launched a massive campaign to retrain the police force under a changed curriculum to make the main law enforcement agency a more humane force, Home Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chwodhury has said.
The changed curriculum gives extra focus on policemen’s appropriate and expected behaviour and interactions with people from different communities.
“A massive change is being brought in the police training curriculums,” the home adviser added.
He said the initiative is aimed at making police a humane, pro-people and service-oriented force after it earned a tyrannical image due to its suppressive activities in the last 16 years.
During the past six months Dhaka city alone witnessed 150 street protests and demonstrations by different professional groups including public employees, and teachers and even students.
“But, the police did not resorted to their oppressive role to quell them in New Bangladesh,” the adviser said.
Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, however, said the street protests caused immense sufferings to commuters and city residents, and yet, police handled the demonstrations with patience without using excessive force in line with the government’s instructions.
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam in a recent view exchange with journalists said that the police had committed all types of wrongdoings in the last 16 years due to political influence.
“In last 16 years, political influence was so much that we left no misdeeds uncommitted. You know that, we all know that. We are so sorry and embarrassed for that,” he said.
Baharul Alam demanded freeing the police from political influence as the force faced unbearable hatred from the people due to their politically influenced activities.
The police chief said he is travelling to different places and interacting with the personnel of different ranks to find the way to overcome the situation.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzad Ali recently issued a directive asking police officials to provide best services to the people in any situation.
“People are not our enemies and we do not want to go against the people. We want to work together with the people,” he told a DMP officials’ conference recently at Bangladesh Police Auditorium in Rajarbagh Police Lines.
Sazzad Ali said police are holding view exchange meetings with the common people at different police station areas to understand their expectations from the police.
Apart from the move of making a pro-police force, the government has initiated special drives against illegal arms, contraband drugs and hardened criminals across the country including the bordering areas.
Police officials said efforts were underway to bring back normalcy as the country witnessed abnormal situation for three days after the 5 August changeover.
Asked about how much the government achieved in maintaining law and order across the country in the last six months, the home adviser said the ordinary people and the journalists should answer the question.
“But you (journalists) know in which situation the government assumed office. You also can say better whether the situation has improved from the difficult time when we assumed office,” he said.
The adviser, however, said he law and order was now in a better state than what it was six months ago “but, there are still scopes to improve it further.”
