When law enforcers become criminals

When those who are entrusted to uphold law and order abuse that very trust, who are we left with? According to a report by the daily Prothom Alo, three police officers, a sub-inspector, and two assistant sub-inspectors were reportedly involved in robbing 200 bhori (2.3 kg) of gold from a trader on December 14. Such sinister and premeditated actions raise grave concerns about whether our law enforcers are scrupulous enough to serve citizens.

As per investigators, a microbus intercepted the trader in Dhaka's Uttara, and out came four men claiming to be from police's Detective Branch. The group then handcuffed the victim, looted the gold and his phone, and left him near the Uttara North metro rail station. Later on, investigators managed to track one of the offending officers: Gyasuddin, the ASI of Gazipur's Sreepur police station. He was subsequently arrested, and Tk 35 lakh (the share he got for the robbery) was recovered from his home in Cumilla. Officials suspect this gang is also active on Airport Road, robbing those who pass by after flying into Bangladesh.

It's unfortunate that such incidents are not new in this country. Every few weeks, if not over days, we see news of law enforcers abusing their power, sometimes purely for personal benefits, other times on behalf of the authorities that be. Harassment of average citizens for bribes, daily extortion of small businesses, conducting dubious raids, and even abduction have been widely documented. This just goes to show that these offences are entrenched in the system itself and that, unless the government addresses the root causes of such corruption, these incidents will continue to occur.

According to a former inspector general of police, if any law enforcer is found to be involved in criminal offences, they should be ousted from the force. We cannot agree more, because for such a critical role, we need the most upstanding members of society. How can we expect our law enforcers to thwart crimes when they themselves take part in them? We, therefore, urge the government to take long-term measures to ensure that our law enforcement agencies are responsible and accountable, alongside enacting swift and strict punishment for those who violate our trust.

Follow The Daily Star Opinion on Facebook for the latest opinions, commentaries and analyses by experts and professionals. To contribute your article or letter to The Daily Star Opinion, see our guidelines for submission.