The New Nation - Internet Edition

ACCORDING to reports, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has launched a special unit to find out whether crime investigations by officers under it, are being carried out properly up to the expectation and satisfaction of the complainants. The unit may recommend disciplinary action against any officer found to be in dereliction of duty and have the same enforced. Investigations are at the heart of law enforcement. Depending on the strength of the investigations, the accused in serious offences can be denied bail by the courts and the adjudication processes can also be concluded relatively quickly leading to well deserved convictions.

But inefficiency in the investigation processes can spoil cases. The same may help the accused to hide or manipulate evidences, causing ultimately, hazards in the way of establishing guilt clearly by the courts. In many such cases, the accused ones may benefit from a situation of poor investigation of cases to escape punishment as their crimes do not get proved. Sometimes, investigators are found taking bribes from the accused to deliberately soften the investigation activities so that hard evidences of their crimes are shielded. Undoubtedly, the DMP's special unit can be of much help in guarding against such abuses of the investigation process.

The laws to govern the parliamentary and other elections have been recently considered by the Council of Advisers. One of the proposed laws would be barring only convicted ones from contesting elections. Therefore, for the people to get the benefit of good candidates and clean elections, it is imperative that successful investigations of the crimes of influential people are completed at the fastest leading to their convictions so that such people are prevented from staging a comeback to public life. Thus, a surveillance system covering the investigation process is seen as acutely necessary.