QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT - Police Reform Programme

Police Reform Programme (Phase-II)
Section I: Context
Key areas of development and issues related to the subject area in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is a developing nation and a fledgling democracy. Steady economic growth since the early
1990s has resulted in rapid gains in Human Development. Bangladesh is currently on track to meet a
number of the Millennium Development Goals. Despite impressive achievements in a variety of fields,
Bangladesh suffers from weak governance. Access to justice, respect for the rule of law and
knowledge of human rights are generally acknowledged as inadequate.
Law and order, crime and corruption remain serious problems adversely affecting individual safety,
national security and economic growth. Overall, crime remains under-reported and inadequately
investigated by the police, the court system is slow and the prisons are overcrowded. There is a
growing desire from civil society, media, government ministries and international agencies to establish
a more coordinated vision for the justice sector. The UNDP is supporting coordination efforts to
harmonize support to the Justice Sector and has integrated the Police Reform Programme into these
efforts.
Thus, an accountable, transparent and efficient police service in Bangladesh is essential for the safety
and wellbeing of all citizens, national stability and longer-term growth and development, particularly the
creation of a secure environment which is conducive to consumer and investor confidence. Within this
context the Bangladesh Police have taken important first steps towards reform. The Programme is
providing Bangladesh Police with much needed technical and financial assistance to: undertake
operational, organisational and legal reform; build training capacity; improve the quality of
investigations, operations and prosecutions; consolidate community policing and crime prevention;
make policing more gender sensitive; and introduce cost effective and realistic information
communication technology.
Development Goal and Programme Purpose
The development goal is a safer, more secure and stable Bangladesh, where the human rights of
citizens, particularly the vulnerable and marginalised, are promoted and protected to accelerate
progress on the MDGs, economic growth and social justice. The purpose of the programme is to
improve safety, access to justice, and human rights for all citizens, particularly disadvantaged and
vulnerable groups such as women and children.
Target beneficiaries
The Bangladesh people, in particular, the disadvantaged, the poor, women and children are the target
beneficiaries of the PRP. The Programme has a national scope and provides support to the police and
the community in both metropolitan and rural locations. The Programme focuses on the
disadvantaged, poor, ethnic minorities and women and children. These groups have traditionally
suffered from an inability and unwillingness to access justice due to an imbalance in power
relationships. The Police also benefit from increased capacity and job satisfaction, improved morale,
image and social standing.
Quarterly Progress Report | July - September 2012
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