The police are undeniably important. Yet, the absence of neutral policing is in question -- raising questions of credibility of the body. The role of police concerning the recent clash between Dhaka College students and New Market traders earlier this month invokes a lot of questions on ethical policing.
According to media reports, on duty police forces were allegedly reluctant to take any actions immediately against the perpetrators; rather, they watched and waited, resulting in two deaths and over 50 injured.
The go-slow approach of the law enforcing agency was criticized by the education minister.
Questionably, the police also filed cases against some opposition political leaders and unnamed people. Afterwards, they arrested a few of them , including a local BNP leader. Later, upon analysis of video footage and investigation, the police were somewhat compelled to arrest a few ruling party student leaders who were found visibly involved in hacking two victims with large knife-like sharp weapons.
It is known to all that the aim of the Bangladesh police is to make the country a better and safer place to live and work. Apart from ensuring law and order, the protection of life, liberty, property, and security of citizens and noncitizens is the solemn responsibility of the force.
But there exists a long list of allegations against this law enforcement authority, including abuse of power, misconduct, bribery, drug trading, custodial deaths, enforced disappearances, political partisanship, aiding election rigging, filing false and fictitious cases, suppressing freedom of expression, violating human rights, and engaging in anti-social activities such as forcible extortion and the consumption of alcohol and other prohibited drugs. A recent report says a total of 106 members of Dhaka Metropolitan Police have lost jobs for failing a dope test over the last two years.
The police were created by the British in the 19th century to serve their vested interests. It is sad to see that even after 50 years of independence, the same mind frame is prevailing -- flouting the essence of ethical and neutral policing. Nonetheless, breaking the shackles of imperialism and colonialism, the Bangladesh police also have a glorious past, with laudable accomplishments in our great War of Independence in 1971.
There has also been mentionable success in eliminating terrorism, extremism, and militancy in the recent past. The role of the police in the maintenance of social distance and lockdowns in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic was also laudable.
Owing to misdeeds of some police personnel, the public perception towards policing is still very negative. Moreover, widespread violation of policing ethics by some police personnel is a grave concern for policing in the country. It must be said that there are many honest and ethical police personnel serving the nation with due diligence and respect.
Conscious people expect policing with the spirit of independence and accountability coupled with the symbol of rule of law, resisting all sorts of chaos, criminality, and lawlessness to make our beloved motherland a better place. For attaining such dreams, we need a paradigm shift of ethical and responsible policing, committed in terms of professional enhancement, capacity building, and service delivery with pro-people, pro-human rights, pro-technology, community-oriented, and sensitized to rights-based issues of people, society, and state.
Ultimately, police reforms should be a priority for a country like Bangladesh. Ironically every government ignores it despite knowing and understanding its significance. The present government has been in power since 2009. It cannot deny the unethical nature of policing as the police are seemingly entrusted with the duty to suppress opposing voices.
Despite criticisms, the police are an ever-present law enforcing organization with excessive working hours. Some police officers are forced into political allegiances for promotions and postings, although it is common practice for transfer and posting as a kind of punishment and reward.
The main goal of ethical policing is to maintain neutrality when taking any action, preserving integrity in decision making, and working above any partisanship. Disciplinary actions against police personnel having ruling political party affiliation is less in comparison to ordinary police forces. As per a report, police high-ups receive more than 3,000 allegations against their members from across the country every month through emails, text messages, and calls -- with little to no action ever taken.
In pursuit of professional excellence in the police force, it is imperative to make them autonomous, separating their allegiance from the Ministry of Home Affairs and political partisanship. In addition, their continuous training with modern equipment and strategies, along with constant monitoring of their day-to-day functioning must also be prioritized.
The existing culture of impunity in the police force has existed for far too long. It is time for a change.
Emdadul Haque is an Independent Human Rights Researcher and Freelance Contributor based in Dhaka. Email: [email protected] and Twitter @emdadlaw.
