Police now free from all undue pressure: IGP
CU Correspondent
Inspector General of Police (IGP) Nur Mohammad has said it is the high time to bring in some positive changes in the police department which is now free from all undue pressures that it frequently faced before January 11 this year.He was speaking as chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of 'Police Service Delivery Centre' and 'Police Open Day' at Panchlaish Model Police Station in the port city yesterday. The IGP called upon all to say 'Yes' to police and extend helping hands to build a prosperous Bangladesh. "Radical changes have already started taking place in police department while it might take some time to remove the stigmas completely," he added. "Earlier, we could not work independently when 'vested quarters' even interfered with the appointment of officer-in-charge in police stations where 'their' approval was a must," he said. Nur Mohammad said these quarters are also equally responsible for the bad name of police department. He hoped that the newly launched service delivery system and Police Open Day would help develop a friendly community-police relationship based on mutual understanding, trust and cooperation to prevent crimes. PRP Project Manager Hubert Staberhofer and representatives from different sections of the society also spoke on the occasion. With Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Moinur Rahman Chowdhury in the chair, the function was attended by Additional Inspector General of Police NBK Tripura as special guest. Later, the IGP inaugurated the delivery centre and distributed bicycles, torchlights, mobile phones and umbrellas among the members of the community police. Panchlaish Model Police Station is the first model police station in Chittagongunder under the Police Reform Project (PRP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The 'Open Day' would provide an opportunity for the local residents to go to concerned police stations where the officer-in-charge (OC) would listen to their problems and suggest proper steps once in a month. The government in collaboration with UNDP and Department for International Development (DFID) launched the first phase of the PRP in 2005 that aimed at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of Bangladesh Police. The programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Home Affairs and Bangladesh Police while the European Commission is a major partner of the programme.
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