Home Adviser Urges Police to Embrace a People-First Approach
Home Adviser Lt. Gen. (Retd) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury today asked the police personnel to be people friendly in a real sense. "Police will really have to be people friendly. There is no chance to remain in black and white anymore," he said emerging from a view exchange meeting with Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials at its headquarters here this morning.
The home adviser said all want police to be a force of the people. "The countrymen expect police to be people friendly. You (journalists) and I also expect so," he said. The home adviser asked the police force to work for regaining their past glory discharging duties sincerely by enhancing morale.
"You (journalists) know, the police have incurred a huge damage (during the mass uprising). So, obstacles are being seen in their works in many stages. I have asked them to revive their past glory after being motivated mentally," he said. He also provided some directions to the police including rendering quick services to the people, stopping extortion, corruption and harassment of the masses and solving the traffic related problems. Mentioning that the people are going to police stations with various problems, he asked the police to solve their problems if possible and give them patience hearing.
The home adviser also instructed the law enforcers to find the way out on how the traffic related problems can be improved. He, as well, asked the police force to stop extortion. "If the extortion can be contained, the price of the commodities would be brought to tolerable level," he opined. He ordered the police personnel to stop the bribery and corruption as the menaces have reached every step in the society. About random cases, the home adviser said the police are not filing the cases. The cases are being filed by the commoners, he said, calling upon them to lodge cases against the real offenders as no innocent person is subjected to be harassment.
It would require long time to conduct investigations, he added. In the past, he said police filed such cases naming 10 persons and several hundred of persons without names. But now, police are not filing such cases, he said. The home adviser again assured that none would be arrested without investigation. "I have asked the DB (Detective Branch of police) not to arrest any innocent people rather to nab only the criminals," he said.
Responding to another question about mob justice, he called upon all not to take law in own hands, referring to a recent incident happened in Jahangirnagar University. "There is no scope to take law in own hands," he warned. Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md. Mainul Islam and Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Md. Mainul Hassan were present at the view exchange meeting.
