Separate division for police alone

The police have demanded the government form a fully-fledged division to deal with the recruitment, promotion, posting, and overall well-being of the force, which is now supervised by administration cadre officials at the home ministry.
Top police officials made the demand at a meeting with Asaduzzaman Khan, state minister for home, at Rajarbagh Police Lines in the capital after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated Police Week-2014 there yesterday.
Speaking at the programme, the PM warned cops of tough punishment if anyone is found having links with militancy and terrorism.
Talking to The Daily Star, Benazir Ahmed, commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said they have suggested forming the new division which will be operated under the home ministry only by police personnel.
The top cops made the demand after apparently failing to bring in the much talked about reforms in the force.
In 2007, a draft police ordinance was prepared to free it from political clutches, but in vain. Instead of taking steps to pass the draft ordinance, the last Awami League-led grand alliance government at the fag end of its tenure prepared another draft apparently to retain political influence on the force.
Asked why police needed a separate division, a top police official, who attended the meeting, said: “The authorities composed of outsiders often fail to realise the urgency of the demands made by the police force, which in turn hampers police activities.”
If the police have control over their appointment, promotion, posting and allocations of logistics, the force would be more efficient and able to speed up its activities, he observed.
State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan said police officers at the meeting made some demands, including forming of the new division, but it involves many components to form such a division.
The government, he added, will try to meet some of the demands of the police immediately.
“We'll bear all the educational expenses of the children of policemen who were killed in recent violence across the country,” he mentioned.
On the complaint of supplying substandard rice in the monthly rice ration for police, the state minister said, “I'll take immediate steps to ensure the quality of rice ration.”
Asaduzzaman in his speech at the meeting with top cops said at present there is one policeman against every 1,035 people in the country. But the government has been trying hard to make the ratio 1:800.
Regarding the long working hours of cops, he said at times a policeman works for 22 hours at a stretch, which is inhuman.
Senior Home Secretary CQK Mustaque Ahmed, chiefs of police, Rapid Action Battalion, Criminal Investigation Department of police and other law enforcement agencies attended the meeting.