The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Inspector General of Police Nur Mohmmad yesterday said nothing good could be expected from those, who had joined the police force by paying Tk four to five lakh as bribe.

He made this remark at a seminar on 'Necessity of Reform of Police Act for National Development' organised by Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad (BUP) at the Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) auditorium at Eskaton in the city.

ASM Shahjahan, a former adviser of the Caretaker Government presented the keynote paper at the seminar, chaired by BUP chairman and BEA president Dr Quazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad.

There is no alternative to implementing the proposed Bangladesh Police Ordinance-2007 to make police force more transparent, professional and accountable to the people, the IGP said.

Nur noted that the country's police force is functioning under the outdated Police Act of 1861 enacted during the British colonial days, where there is no place for such words as community, democracy constitution, media and human rights.

This act needs to be reformed and updated immediately, he said adding that in the proposed police ordinance everything is available.

Despite the allocation of a meagre amount for the police in the development budget of the country, the police force was showing 100 per cent efficiency.

The former adviser ASM Shahjahan said the Police Act of 1861 was enacted four years after the Sepoy Mutiny to clamp down on any sort of demonstration, this Act is very good for exercising control, not for service and development.

He said this police Act was the main weapon of the politicians. By using it, they could transfer or terminate any police officials on many occasions in the past, police were used as the musclemen of the Government.

Shahjahan, also a former secretary to the Government and ex-IGP, said police should be allowed to function independently and impartially for greater interest of the country and its development.

He criticised the present Caretaker Government for not implementing the proposed Police Ordinance. "We don't know why they didn't implement it. This Government has implemented many ordinances without consultation," he said. He urged the Government to implement the proposed police ordinance before handing over power to an elected Government.

If it is implemented then police station will be treated as the symbol of safety and security, he said.