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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

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