Annual Report - Police Reform Programme
Annual Report - Police Reform Programme
Annual Report - Police Reform Programme
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<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Reform</strong> <strong>Programme</strong><br />
(Phase-II)<br />
Date: 11-04-2012<br />
PRP needs updating existing old legislative framework<br />
The existing old legislative<br />
framework of the country if not<br />
updated, will influence planned<br />
results, outcomes and impacts of<br />
<strong>Police</strong> <strong>Reform</strong> <strong>Programme</strong> (PRP)<br />
Phase-11, the preliminary findings of<br />
Mid-Term Review (MTR) of the<br />
project revealed.<br />
Officials of the PRP project that<br />
commenced in October 2009,<br />
however, believe that significant<br />
progress can be made within the<br />
existing legislative framework, which<br />
has already been evidenced.<br />
International consultant of the<br />
project Dr Rowan Barnsley in a<br />
PowerPoint presentation at a city<br />
hotel Tuesday said delay in<br />
reviewing the overall legal<br />
framework including the 1861 <strong>Police</strong><br />
Act, the <strong>Police</strong> Regulation of Bengal<br />
and the Evidence Act are major<br />
impediments to shifting the force<br />
away from its colonial stricture.<br />
He said police reform is a major<br />
element in the overall development<br />
strategy of Bangladesh as safety<br />
and security are among the key<br />
indicators required for sustainable<br />
poverty elimination and<br />
development.<br />
"Ultimately, these changes will only<br />
come about if the reform process is<br />
accompanied by strong political will<br />
and leadership that is required," he<br />
said, adding that reform must<br />
recognise social and political<br />
realities.<br />
Mr Barnslay said there are<br />
significant achievements in gender<br />
initiatives for women police and<br />
women as victims. "Human rights<br />
sensitization has not progressed at<br />
the same rate. That is something,<br />
we need to work at," he added.<br />
The main objective of the reform of<br />
the $ 29 million project is to develop<br />
a safer and more secure<br />
environment based on respect for<br />
human rights and equitable access<br />
to justice through policing which is<br />
more responsive to the needs of<br />
poor and vulnerable people.<br />
Of the total fund, UKAID contributes<br />
$ 16.3 million, United Nations<br />
Development <strong>Programme</strong> (UNDP) $<br />
8.0 million and unfunded budget is $<br />
4.7 million.<br />
National project director and<br />
additional inspector general of<br />
police Mokhlesur Rahman said the<br />
project has started demonstrating a<br />
number of significant and<br />
measurable successes, most<br />
importantly in the area of greater<br />
police professionalism.<br />
Citing the PRP survey conducted<br />
last year, he said more than 80 per<br />
cent of respondents have said that<br />
the law and order situation has<br />
improved over the last two years,<br />
despite what people might read in<br />
the press.<br />
According to a survey published in<br />
2011 by the National Human Rights<br />
Commission, nearly 34 per cent of<br />
the surveyed people polled believed<br />
that the police service had<br />
improved.<br />
"These are the positive signs that<br />
slowly improved police performance<br />
and the public are beginning to see<br />
this as well," the project director<br />
said, informing that PRP is divided<br />
into six separate components and<br />
they are trying to demonstrate<br />
success across all of these<br />
components.<br />
The components are Organisational<br />
and Legislative Change, Human<br />
Resource Management and<br />
Training, Investigations Operations<br />
and Prosecutions, Crime Prevention<br />
and Community Policing, Promoting<br />
Women's Participation in Policing<br />
and finally, Communication and<br />
Technology.<br />
According to the MTR, a total of<br />
3000 extra women have entered the<br />
police service to support these new<br />
women officers and 2604 officers<br />
have been trained in gender<br />
sensitivity.<br />
Besides, 655 police officers and<br />
community members were given<br />
training in the basics of community<br />
policing while 992 police officers<br />
were trained in Basic ICT skills and<br />
assisted the police develop an ICT<br />
organisational structure through the<br />
development of the ICT Master<br />
Plan.<br />
Senior secretary to the Home<br />
Ministry CQK Mustak Ahmed<br />
termed the reform project as a vital<br />
one for the force, saying that it will<br />
help transition of the colonial style<br />
police force into service oriented<br />
force.<br />
"The police should give more<br />
emphasis on forensics and<br />
evidence gathering in investigations<br />
rather than confessions," he said,<br />
adding that he will provide all<br />
possible cooperation for it.<br />
Web link: http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/more.php?news_id=126340&date=2012-04-11<br />
Author: FE <strong>Report</strong><br />
<strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong> 2012<br />
57