Crime and Policing in Bangladesh - Comments on Swiss Ambassador's Concern
Ref: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=91134
Crimes are on the rise everywhere and not just limited to the cities in Bangladesh. On June 4, the Mirror of UK reported how two Brits - Nigel Farmer and and Dano Sonnex had knifed two French students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez at least 244 times during an horrific three-hour torture ordeal last June. Here in my backyard in Philadelphia on an average some 500 people are murdered every year by criminals. And as to mugging, the Swiss diplomat ought to visit any U.S. big city downtown area to get a flavor of that crime, especially after the sunset. Theft is also quite common. Just last week, daughter of my in-law lost her new bike which was stolen from her front yard in a secured complex in a well-affluent part of West Chester, Pennsylvania. While living in Los Angeles, I also lost two cars and a bike. A comparative study would show that there is less crime in Bangladesh compared to most western countries.
Having said that these observations do not absolve the government in Bangladesh in its failure to fight crime effectively. It ought to do everything that is in its capacity to stop crime of any sort ensuring safety and security of everyone from ordinary citizens to our guest diplomats and their family members. The police force is too small and paid too little, which encourages corruption. Interestingly though, it is less corrupt than our civil administration. For this, the credit goes to the top cadre of the Police Administration setting personal examples of honesty. For example, the current IGP - Mr. Nur Mohammad is a person of untarnished image and integrity that every Bangladeshi can feel proud of. There are many honest officers within the Police force that have never taken bribe.
In the USA, for every 10,000 citizens, there are 38 police staffs. The comparable number in Bangladesh is only 8.5. On a per capita basis, Bangladesh spends only Tk. 115 - a very small fraction on policing compared to any western country (the comparable figure in the USA is $385). The Bangladesh Police force is poorly trained and ill-equipped to combat crimes of the 21st century. It suffers from serious budgetary constraints; the working condition is simply miserable. Because of the century-old tradition the force is vulnerable to political pressure and have been exploited in the past by some government administrations as political weapon to violate human rights.
In the past some retired police officers have made suggestions for an overhaul of the entire police administration requiring administrative and legal reforms plus introduction of community policing. Unfortunately, the previous administrations paid little attention to such recommendations. The civil bureaucracy have always worked against desired reform of the Bangladesh Police Force. And this must change for greater good of our people. The non-police civilian staff are also highly corrupt that won't, e.g., pay off the necessary voucher or travel allowance of an on-duty police officer unless bribed. Because of its adherence to antiquated Police Act, the Bangladesh Police Force is constrained on several grounds, e.g., to be operationally neutral, organizationally autonomous, functionally specialized, institutionally accountable and socially service-oriented.
In his M.Sc. dissertation on Criminal Justice and Police Management, submitted to the Department of Criminology, University of Leicester, UK, in 2008, SP Mohammad Abdullahel Baki has thoroughly covered a plethora of problems facing Bangladesh Police and offered practical solutions for improvement. The Home Ministry of Bangladesh Government may do well to carry out the recommendations made therein to improve the health of security in the country.
Useful Ref: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/04/inside-the-horror-flat-where-two-french-students-were-tortured-and-murdered-115875-21415137/
Crimes are on the rise everywhere and not just limited to the cities in Bangladesh. On June 4, the Mirror of UK reported how two Brits - Nigel Farmer and and Dano Sonnex had knifed two French students Laurent Bonomo and Gabriel Ferez at least 244 times during an horrific three-hour torture ordeal last June. Here in my backyard in Philadelphia on an average some 500 people are murdered every year by criminals. And as to mugging, the Swiss diplomat ought to visit any U.S. big city downtown area to get a flavor of that crime, especially after the sunset. Theft is also quite common. Just last week, daughter of my in-law lost her new bike which was stolen from her front yard in a secured complex in a well-affluent part of West Chester, Pennsylvania. While living in Los Angeles, I also lost two cars and a bike. A comparative study would show that there is less crime in Bangladesh compared to most western countries.
Having said that these observations do not absolve the government in Bangladesh in its failure to fight crime effectively. It ought to do everything that is in its capacity to stop crime of any sort ensuring safety and security of everyone from ordinary citizens to our guest diplomats and their family members. The police force is too small and paid too little, which encourages corruption. Interestingly though, it is less corrupt than our civil administration. For this, the credit goes to the top cadre of the Police Administration setting personal examples of honesty. For example, the current IGP - Mr. Nur Mohammad is a person of untarnished image and integrity that every Bangladeshi can feel proud of. There are many honest officers within the Police force that have never taken bribe.
In the USA, for every 10,000 citizens, there are 38 police staffs. The comparable number in Bangladesh is only 8.5. On a per capita basis, Bangladesh spends only Tk. 115 - a very small fraction on policing compared to any western country (the comparable figure in the USA is $385). The Bangladesh Police force is poorly trained and ill-equipped to combat crimes of the 21st century. It suffers from serious budgetary constraints; the working condition is simply miserable. Because of the century-old tradition the force is vulnerable to political pressure and have been exploited in the past by some government administrations as political weapon to violate human rights.
In the past some retired police officers have made suggestions for an overhaul of the entire police administration requiring administrative and legal reforms plus introduction of community policing. Unfortunately, the previous administrations paid little attention to such recommendations. The civil bureaucracy have always worked against desired reform of the Bangladesh Police Force. And this must change for greater good of our people. The non-police civilian staff are also highly corrupt that won't, e.g., pay off the necessary voucher or travel allowance of an on-duty police officer unless bribed. Because of its adherence to antiquated Police Act, the Bangladesh Police Force is constrained on several grounds, e.g., to be operationally neutral, organizationally autonomous, functionally specialized, institutionally accountable and socially service-oriented.
In his M.Sc. dissertation on Criminal Justice and Police Management, submitted to the Department of Criminology, University of Leicester, UK, in 2008, SP Mohammad Abdullahel Baki has thoroughly covered a plethora of problems facing Bangladesh Police and offered practical solutions for improvement. The Home Ministry of Bangladesh Government may do well to carry out the recommendations made therein to improve the health of security in the country.
Useful Ref: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/06/04/inside-the-horror-flat-where-two-french-students-were-tortured-and-murdered-115875-21415137/
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