PRO-PEOPLE policing has dominated the political discourse in Bangladesh in the post-July uprising period. The image of the police has been deeply scarred during the 2024 July uprising. To call a spade a spade, the immediate past regime used the police nakedly to contain the student movement that led to hundreds of deaths and injuries across the country. Such crimes need to be investigated thoroughly, and those responsible should be brought to book. Simultaneously, the July uprising should be a wake-up call for the police, which never had such a horrific experience in independent Bangladesh. The event could work as a catalyst for Bangladesh Police to overhaul and purge itself to regain public trust.
Pro-people policing is a new mechanism in policing in Bangladesh. It underlines a shift from conventional reactive to proactive policing strategy to curb crime and disorder in society, working in tandem with the community. Such a strategy is aimed at understanding community concerns and co-creating remedies. It is also to create an equitable society by engaging the community, addressing prevailing law and order issues, building public trust and improving the overall quality of life. The main components of pro-people policing are community engagement, problem-orientated policing, focus on crime prevention, accountability and transparency, and smart policing. Such policing is essential for society. This innovative approach can ensure accountability and transparency by fostering public trust and creating greater collaboration between the police and the public. Ultimately, it optimises the police service delivery and enhances the image of the police in the community.
Pro-people policing is imperative in the present context. The police are bestowed with powers to maintain law and order and ensure the security of the citizens. Unfortunately, however, the police have been being exploited nefariously by political parties in power for years in Bangladesh. The total policing system was blatantly politicised under different regimes. The police personnel antagonised the people by involving themselves in extrajudicial activities in the recent past.
Pro-people policing can contribute a lot to establishing peace in society. This approach is a requirement to achieve Sustainable Development Goal-16, which focuses on building peaceful and inclusive societies and providing access to justice for all. One of the main areas that this SDG addresses is strengthening the rule of law. A pro-people policing approach can accelerate the march to achieve this goal. Furthermore, pro-people policing is a cornerstone for democratisation and establishing good governance in Bangladesh. It can ensure a conducive environment for doing business, boost the confidence of entrepreneurs and attract foreign direct investments. As a result, it will significantly contribute to leapfrogging the GDP growth and uplifting the socio-economic development.
The following measures can be taken urgently to turn Bangladesh Police into a pro-people force:
鈥� Community policing can play a crucial role in making the police pro-people. If good people of society are incorporated into the community policing committee, they can partner with the local police to effectively address social maladies.
鈥� Beat policing, a policing strategy based on collaborative efforts of both the police and the community aiming at removing the fear of crime, is very innovative, and this approach can contribute immensely to bolstering intelligence-led policing in society. This tool is very effective in a densely populated country like Bangladesh. If the notion of beat policing is utilised properly, it can expedite the stride of pro-people policing in Bangladesh.
鈥� 999, the toll-free national emergency helpline, has popularised the police in society. The paramount objective of this service is to give immediate assistance to the citizens in their emergencies. This 24/7 service is an effective platform for the police to gain people鈥檚 trust.
鈥� Police professionalism is essential to fulfil the vision of pro-people policing in Bangladesh. To inculcate professionalism in police personnel, crash programmes should be initiated to enhance the skills of serving police officers. Special emphasis should be given on training programmes. 鈥楩irst-rate training, excellent service鈥�, the slogan of the Bangladesh Police Academy, should be the philosophy of all training programmes in the sector. There is no doubt that the investment in police training has the highest return, as it impacts the whole society.
鈥� Finally, proactive policing and feedback relationships, two novel approaches, can build a bridge between the police and the public, and thus the police can optimise the delivery of its service.
Notably, after the July uprising, when the rank and file of Bangladesh Police was tarnished, the incumbent IGP, Baharul Alam, helmed the top echelon of Bangladesh Police on November 21, 2024. He has been navigating through difficult times, but he is committed to salvaging the sector. Since taking the leadership role, he has been working arduously to destigmatise the police, gain the trust of the people, restore the morale of the forces, hone in their professional acumen, and make Bangladesh Police pro-people in a true sense. To achieve these goals, he has taken some pragmatic and efficacious steps which deserve commendation.
Political parties can play a pivotal role in minimising the gaps between the police and the people, working as a go-between. It is to be noted that BNP, the protagonist in the current political arena of Bangladesh, has formed a police reform committee within their party. The committee has submitted some recommendations to the Police Reform Commission formed by the interim government. All political parties should incorporate the police reform issues in their election manifesto, underlining depoliticisation of the police, and implement them if elected to power for the greater benefit of the countrymen.
An independent police commission can act successfully to hold the police personnel legally accountable for their actions in the course of their professional duties, which is a prerequisite for pro-people policing. It is a positive sign that most of the political parties have pledged to the Consensus Commission formed by the interim government to establish an independent Police Commission in Bangladesh.
In conclusion, the necessity of pro-people policing is gaining momentum day by day in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Police have a golden opportunity to capitalise on this awareness in the post-July uprising era. The government should take some practical and bold initiatives for the sake of pro-people policing. If a pro-people policing strategy can be steadied, the people of the country will benefit greatly, and Bangladesh Police can regain its image lost in the recent past. All stakeholders had better work together to institutionalise pro-people policing in Bangladesh.
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听Molla Mohammad Shaheen is a deputy police commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
