CONTENTS

TOPIC PAGE
Abstracts: 1
1.1.Introduction And Background 2-3
2.1.Historical Background Of Bangladeshi 3-5
Police
3.Organisation of Bangladesh Police 6
3.1.Branches 6
3.2.Number of police officer in bangladesh 7

3.3.Structure of BANGLADESHPOLICE: 8-16

3.4.Police Ranks 17
4.Strategic Partnership 19
4.2.Strength 20
4.3.Community Policing in Bangladesh 20
4.4.Beat Policing 20
4.5.Women in Bangladesh Police 20

4.6.Selection and Training 21

4.7.Training Institutions 22
4.8.Police Medals 22
4.9.Vehicles 22
4.10.Criticism 23

4.11.Weapons 23
4.12.Contribution to UN Peace Keeping 23
Operations

5.Vision and mission 24

5.1.SALARIES AND WORKING 25

CONDITIONS
5.2.PROMOTIONS, TRANSFERS AND
EVALUATION
5.3.COORDINATION 26

6.1.CONCLUSION 26
6.2.RECOMMENDATIONS 27

7.Bibliography; 28

1
Abstracts:

Bangladesh Police is the National Police Organization of Bangladesh.It is spread all

over the country.It works under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home
Affairspolice force ,of some form or the other,has always been present in all civilized
societies from times immemorial. The entire country is under a single police
jurisdiction, accountable to the Government, and central planning of all management
issues is a key characteristic .Appropriate training is essential to develop professional
skill and to make a police organization effective and responsive to community needs.
‘Traditionally, a great deal of emphasis has been laid on the inculcation of knowledge
and professional skill as the twin objectives of training. While these two are important
they do not make training complete and there is a third that needs to be recognized.
This is the objective of developing in the trainees appropriate attitudes of mind
towards their work and the people they come into contact with, in the discharge of
their duties. This third objective requires that training should relate not only to the
cognitive and the conative abilities of an individual but also to his affective responses.

1.1.Introduction:

Police are the most visible part of the law enforcement agency and very concerning element
of the criminal justice system. Role of police is very significant to control crime. Public
security and safety also depends on them. To prevent crime both proactive and reactive
strategy they take. They have to rescue victim, investigate crime scene, apprehend suspects,
make further investigation, and make charge sheet or final report. They have to fight with
criminals and face with modern criminality. Without any doubt it could be said that, police
have a lot of responsibility to establish a peaceful and secure society. The police need
resources to tackle internal threats and crime. They remain far better placed to handle
counter- insurgency and terrorism threats than a military trained to fight external enemies.
The international community should realise that helping the police rank and file, not just
military and elite paramilitary forces, with training and technical assistance would pay
counter-terrorism dividends. However, the Bangladesh government should not just improve
training, increase financial support and eventually police numbers but also enact concrete
organ-isational and political reforms. Bangladesh’s police have a well-deserved reputation
for brutality, corruption and incompetence. While all governments since independence have
acknowledged these fundamental flaws, none of them has seen a com- petent and
accountable police force as being in its in-terest. Whether the necessity has been fighting
crime or tackling terrorists, successive administrations have relied on half measures and
quick fixes usually involving the military rather than reforming the police as a long-term
solution.

2
1.2. Background:

The Bangladesh Police is a national organization with headquarters based in Dhaka and a
number of branches and units, including a special branch, a criminal investigation department
(CID), an armed police battalion, training institutions, and range and metropolitan police
(including railway police). The range and metropolitan police are structured into districts,
circles, police stations (Thanas) and outposts. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) is the
highest ranking officer. The IGP is not independent and can be transferred and removed by
the Government any time. At the district level, the police superintendents oversee the field
operations of the police force and liaise with the deputy commissioner. The Ministry of
HomeAffairs (MoHA) controls police administration, and appointments and transfers of all
police officers above the rank of superintendent. In charge of each Thana is an inspector who
coordinates all kinds of work in the Thana area. The Bangladesh Police is mainly governed.

2.1.Historical Background Of Bangladeshi Police:

Bangladesh
police(after 1971)

Pakistan
police(after 1947)

Indian
police(before1947)

Ancient Period

Manushanghita,, the hieroglyphics of Emperor Ashoka, and the stories of renowned travelers
are the main sources of composing police history. These sources also give clues to compose
the fragmented history of Bangladesh Police. In Orthoshastra by Koutilla, nine types of spies
are mentioned. During that period policing was confined in the efforts of collecting
intelligence in order to curb anti-governmental activities and to maintain law and order in the
society.

The duties of under cover spies were extended such a way that they used to conduct
surveillance over the activities of ministers, civil, and military officials. For this all means of
3
temptations and instigations were used. Information about investigating techniques and
investigating authorities may be found in Orthoshastra.
The procedures of punishing the accused are also found in this book. Hence it maybe
assumed that there was one kind of police under the local autonomous system in the rural and
urban areas.

Medieval Period

Details of policing activities during the middle age cannot be found as well. However, during
the periods of the great sultans, an official holding the position of Muhtasib used to perform
the duties of policing. This person happened to be the chief of police and the in charge of
public works and the inspector of public ethics simultaneously.

In urban areas, Kotwals were responsible for performing police duties. Information regarding
police systems during the Mughal period can be found in the book Aain-E-Akbori. The
policing system introduced by Shershah Shuri, was further organized during the period of
Emperor Akber, the great.

The Emperor organized his administrative structure introducing Fouzdari (the principal
representative of the Emperor), Mir Adal and Kazi (the head of judicial department) and
Kotwal (the chief police official of larger cities). This system was very effective in
maintaining the law and order in cities. The Kotwal police system was implemented in
Dhaka City. Many district sadar police Bangladesh Police stations are still called Kotwali
police stations.

In Mughal period Kotwal emerged as an institution. According to the historians the Kotwal
was minor luminary under the Muhtasib. A Fouzdar was appointed to every administrative
unit of the government (district). There were some artillery and cavalry forces under the
Fouzdar. Thanadars was appointed dividing the parganas into small localities. There was a
disciplined police system during the Mughal period though there was no professional police
force like that of the British period.

In general, it may be opined that there was a remarkable development in the maintenance of
law and order and criminal administration during the reign of the Muslim rulers.

British Period

The establishment of a systematic police force in England was of slow growth and came into
effect after its creation abroad. In the early stage of Industrial Revolution when England was
facing grave crisis due to socioeconomic transformation the necessity of an effective
organised police service was keenly felt Sir Robert Peel, the then Prime Minister introduced a
bill in the British Parliament in 1829 which created an organised civil police in the nearby
London Metro police.

Initially there were some opposition to the existence of this uniform police but the success of
the London police in controlling social disorder and crime captured imagination of not only
the people of England but also of the whole Europe and America, New York city copied the
London model with some modifications when it organised the first Municipal Police Force
1833.

4
In 1858, full control of the Indian Territory was taken over from the East India Company by
the British government. The success of the London police organised under Peels Act of 1829,
prompted the British government to reform the police system in the sub-continent on the line
of the British constabularies. With this end in view a police commissioner was set up 1840,
and on the recommendation of the commission of the Police Act (Act V of 1861), was passed
by the British Parliament. Under this Act a police force was created in each province of
British India and placed under the control of the provincial government.

The administration of the police force of a province was vested upon an officer styled as the
Inspector General of Police. The administration of the police in a district was placed under
the Superintended of Police. The Act is still in force throughout the Sub-continent and has
been regulating the function of police in Bangladesh as well as the other countries of the sub-
continent.

Pakistan Period

After partition of the Sub-continent in 1947 police force in Bangladesh was first named as
East Bengal Police and then as East Pakistan Police and it continued to function as provincial
police force in the same lines as during the British rule.

Role of Police in Liberation War

The most glorious chapter of the history of Bangladesh Police came when Bengali-speaking
police officers participated along with the citizens in Bangladesh Liberation War,During the
liberation war a large number of police officers from all ranks including a Deputy Inspector
General, some senior Superintendents of Police and many other gave their lives for the cause
of liberation. Many police personnel embraced martyrdom on 25 March 1971 fighting with
outdated 303 rifles against the Pakistani invaders. The resistance by the Bengali members of
police at Rajarbag is basically the first chapter of armed struggles during the War of
Independence. This armed resistance was a clear indication to all that they had no other
alternative but to go for an armed struggle to achieve independence.

The name and address of 1262 police officers of different ranks could be listed who
sacrificed their lives for the independence of Bangladesh during the liberation war.Again Mr.
Mahbubuddin Ahmed, Bir Bikram, who was the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) of
Jhenaidah at that time, led the historic guard of honour given to the members of the
Mujibnagar Cabinet when the provisional Government of Bangladesh took oath on the
auspicious day of 17 April 1971 during liberation war.

Bangladesh Period

After the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent country on 16 December, 1971 the

police force was recognized and it assumed the role of a national police force. Bangladesh
Police as like as other police forces over the world is primarily responsible for the
preservation of peace and order, protection of life and property of the people and prevention
and detection of crime. The traditional role of police in Bangladesh has undergone significant
change after the liberation. The role of police is no longer confined to maintenance of law
and order and prevention and detection of crime.

5
To meet the need of an independent and developing country the police is now required
playing a significant role in developing state and such kinds of activities by providing the
basic security required for sustained economic growth of the country. Police also is
contributing substantially in this field by keeping under control economic crimes which
retread the process of the development. It is further playing a vital role in dealing with
insurgency in some areas of the country which impedes development activities and threatens
the security of the state.

3.Organisation of Bangladesh Police

Bangladesh Police is headed by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). Under his command,
Bangladesh Police is divided into different branches.

3.1.Branches

Range Police
•
•
Metropolitan Police
•
•
Special Branch (SB)
•
•
Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
•
•
Railway Police (GRP)
•
•
Highway Police
•
•
Industrial Police
•
•
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI)
•
•
Special Security and Protection Battalion (SPBn)
•
•
Armed Police Battalion (APBn)
•
•
Rapid Action Battalion(RAB)

6
3.2.Number of police officer in bangladesh

(SOURCE:BANGLADESH POLICE WEBSITE,2014)

7
 3.3.Structure of BANGLADESHPOLICE:

Bangladesh Police

Police Headquarters(IGP) )

Addl.IG
Addl. IG (Recruitment Manpower &
Addl.IG (Admin & Operation Training)
( (RM&T)
Finance & Development

DIG(Admin) DIG(Crime & DIG(RM&T)

Operation
DIG
(
Finance AIG
& Development
(Security

AIG
(
Finance & Development) AIG
(Confidential.) AIG(Recruitment &
AIG(Welfare) Manpower)
AIG(Crime
AIG(Supply) AIG (Training)
AIG(Establishment) 1.2.3.4)
AIG(Equipment &Transport) AIG(Planning &
AIG (Security Cell AIG(National
AIG(Telecom) Research)
Central Burea
AIG (UN Affairs)

8
 Police Headquarters(IGP)

Railway Police:DIG
Special
Branch
(SB)-add.IG
District
Metropolitan
:SP
Police:ADD.IG/DIG
Criminal Range (7);DIG
Investigation
Intillegence Department CIRCLE):ASP
training (CID;ADD..IG
DIVISION:SP
school
POLICE
District (64)
Detective STATION):INSPE
School :SP
CTOR

ZONE:Sr.AC

Police Station:INSPECTOR OUTPOST:SI

CIRCLE(126):ASP

Town Out Post:SI

POLICE STATION(615):INSPECTOR

Investigation Center:SI
OUTPOST(351):SI

POLICE BOX;SI
INVESTIGATION CENTRE(112):SI

9
 Police Headquarters(IGP

ARMED
FORCES 11
Highway Police BATTALION
)-D.IG
BATTALION:SP

:DIG
ZONE:SP
TRAINING
INSTITUTE

POLICE 12
:S
STATION:INS BATTALION:
Police Staff College:ADD.IG
RAB:ADD.IG
PECTOR
ADD.DIG

OUTPOST;SI

Police Academy:DIG

Industrial Police
ZONE;SP
:DIG
Police Training
Center(:ADD.DIG

Traffic Driving
School:ADD.DIG

Police Telecom :SP

Police Special Training
School
:SP

10
Range & District Police

•Outside the Dhaka capital region and other metropolitan cities, police is organised into
Police Ranges, headed by a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), who control several
Police Districts. Now there are seven Police Ranges in seven administrative divisions and two
Police Ranges for railways and highways.•
•
The Police District is the fulcrum of police activity and each Police District is headed by a
Superintendent of Police (SP).•
•
The Police District is made up of one or more Circles, and is under the command of an
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) often referred to as the Circle ASP.•
•
Under the Police Circles are the police stations, generally under the control of an Inspector of
Police, who is called Officer-in-Charge (OC). Under him several Sub-Inspector of Police
works. As per the various Bangladeshi laws, Sub-Inspector (and above) are the only officers
who can file a charge sheet in the court.

Each Police Range maintains its own Range Reserve Force (RRF) and district police also
maintains its own Special Armed Force (SAF) which is responsible for emergencies and
crowd control issues. They are generally activated only on orders from the Superintendent of
Police, and higher-level authorities. The armed constabulary do not usually come into
contact with the general public unless they are assigned to VIP duty or to maintain order
during fairs, festivals, athletic events, elections, and natural disasters.
Names of the Police Ranges in seven administrative divisions are:

11
Another two Police Ranges are:

.Metropolitan Police

• In addition to the police ranges, major cities have police forces which follow the Police
Commissionerate System.The Chief of Metropolitan Police is the Police Commissioner.
Raised in 1976, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police is charged with maintaining security and
order in the national capital and neighbouring areas. Later five other metropolitan police were
formed in other large cities.

Names of the Metropolitan Police are:

12
..Detective Branch (DB)

• Detective Branch (DB) is the specialized branch of a police unit. It is highly capable,
sophisticated and technology based branch. Every metropolitan police and district police has
its own Detective Branch.

..SWAT

• SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) is an elite tactical unit of the Dhaka Metropolitan
Police which was established on February 28, 2009. The SWAT unit operates under the
Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police. SWAT unit has sophisticated weapons and
equipment and they are trained at home and abroad. They are called in emergency need and
in crisis management like terrorist attack, hostage rescue etc.

..Traffic Police

• Traffic Police in the small towns come under the district police, but Traffic Police in the
cities come under the metropolitan police. The Traffic Police are responsible for maintaining
the smooth flow of traffic and stopping offenders in the city or town.

.Special Branch (SB)

• The Special Branch was established to assist in maintaining National security and also
performs the functions of intelligence-gathering and counter intelligence.

.Immigration Police

• The purpose of the Immigration Service, Bangladesh Police is to provide immigration

related service and security through the well managed entry and out of people to and from
Bangladesh. The immigration service is provided by Special Branch of Bangladesh Police.

.Criminal Investigation Department (CID)

• The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is a special unit of Bangladesh Police

responsible for carrying out investigations into crimes grievous in nature, including terrorism,
murders and organized crime. It also gives forensic support to law enforcing agencies. It is
headquartered in Malibag, Dhaka, and maintains two training schools named the Detective
Training School and the Forensic Training Institute.

Sl.no. Training school

1 the Detective Training School
2 the Forensic Training Institute

13
Railway Police (GRP)

• The Railway Police is responsible for law enforcement on the Bangladesh Railways. They
maintain discipline on platforms as well as travel inside trains to keep passengers secure.
Railway accidents are also handled by them. Under the Deputy Inspector General (Railway
Police) Railway Police Range has two Railway Districts, one is Syedpur and another is
Chittagong each headed by a Superintendent of Railway Police (SRP).

Sl.no. Railway range

1 Syedpur
2 Chittagong

.Highway Police

• To make the highways safer and to ensure smooth traffic management system, Government
realized the necessity of Highway Police. In the year 2005 Highway Police started its
journey. Under the Deputy Inspector General (Highway Police) Highway Police Range has
two Highway Police wing, the Eastern Wing headquartered in Comilla and the Western Wing
headquartered in Bogra each headed by a Superintendent of Police.

The presence of Highway Police is very unsatisfactory, and they failed to make the highways
safe and ensuring smooth traffic movement due to manpower shortage and adequate logistic
support.
Sl.no. wing location
1 the Eastern Wing Comilla
2 the Western Wing Bogra

.Industrial Police

• To keep the law and order, to ensure the implementation of Labour Law, 2006, collection of
intelligence and taking pro-active policing initiatives to prevent unrest in the industrial area
Industrial Police formally started its journey on 31 October, 2010. Total strength of this unit
is 2990.Industrial Police works at four zones Bangladesh

zone location
1 Ashulia, Dhaka

2 Gazipur

3 Chittagong

4 Narayangonj

14
Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI)

• To ensure the quality of police investigation and create specialization Police Bureau of
Investigation (PBI) was raised in 2013. It is spreaded all over the country and will
investigate all the important police cases. It is centrally headed by a DIG and an Additional
SP heads it in every district.

Special Security and Protection Battalion (SPBn)

• In 2012, one of the specialized force of Bangladesh Police Special Security and Protection
Battalion was raised to provide security to the head of the state, head of the government,
other visiting VVIPs and VIPs. This force is headed by a DIG who works under the control of
the Additional IG of APBn. Primarily this force contains two protection battalions and will be
expanded in the future.

Airport Armed Police (AAP)

• A specialized unit of APBn, Airport Armed Police (AAP) is deployed in the international
airports of Bangladesh for maintaining security of the airports. Currently 8th APBn is
performing their duty in Shahjalal International.Airport, Dhaka.

.Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)

 In 2004, elite force of Bangladesh Police Rapid Action Battalion was raised,
consisting of the personnel of Bangladesh Police, Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh
Navy, Bangladesh Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Ansar. It
works under the command of Inspector General of Police.

.Tourist Police

 In 2009 Tourist Police was formed to protect local and foreign tourists, starting the
service in Cox’s Bazar Sea Beach, a popular area with world’s longest sandy beach. It
is planned to expand the Tourist Police to other tourist spots very soon .It works under
the District Police Administration.

Police Internal Oversight (PIO)

To monitor and to collect intelligence about the activities of the police officers across the
country this specialized wing name Police Internal Oversight (PIO) was set up in 2007.
This Internal Oversight is headed by an Assistant Inspector General (AIG) at the Police
Headquarters and directly reports to the Inspector General of Police (IGP). All the units of
Bangladesh Police fall under the surveillance of PIO. PIO agents are spread all over the
country under direct supervision of the PIO unit located in Police Headquarters.

15
Armed Police Battalion (APBn)

• There are eleven Armed Police Battalions in this force located at different parts of
Bangladesh. Of them one is female battalion. The Headquarters of this force is located in
Uttara, Dhaka inside APBn Complex. The head of this unit is an Additional Inspector
General (Addl IG).

Location of the different Armed Police Battalions are:

Armed police battalion Location

1 Uttara, Dhaka

2 Muktagacha, Mymenshing

3 Khulna

4 Bogra

5 Uttara, Dhaka

6 Barisal

7 Ashulia, Dhaka
8 Sylhet and presently developed airport,Dhaka
9 Chittagong

10 Mohalchari, Khagrachari

11 Uttara, Dhaka(for female).

16
Police Units

RANGE POLICE
METROPOLITAN POLICE

Police Range Division

• •
• •
Police district Zone
• •
• •
Circle Thana (Police Station)
• •
• •
Thana (Police Station) Town Out-Post / Police Cam
•
•
Investigation Centre (IC) / Police Out-Post /
Police Camp

3.4.Police Ranks

Superior Officers

NATIONAL POLICE RANKS METROPOLITAN POLICE RANKS

 Inspector General of Police (IGP)  Police Commissioner

 Additional Inspector General of  Additional Commissioner of Police
Police (Addl IG)  Joint Commissioner of Police (JC)
 Deputy Inspector General of Police  Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC)
(DIG)  Additional Deputy Commissioner of
 Additional Deputy Inspector General Police (ADC)
of Police (Addl DIG)  Senior Assistant Commissioner of
 Superintendent of Police (SP) / Police (Sr AC)
Assistant Inspector General (AIG) (in  Assistant Commissioner of Police
Police HQ) / Special Superintendent (AC)
(SS) (in SB & CID) / Superintendent
of Railway Police (SRP) (in Railway
Police)
 Additional Superintendent of Police
(Addl SP)
 Senior Assistant Superintendent of
Police (Sr ASP)
 Assistant Superintendent of Police
(ASP)

17
.INDUSTRIAL POLICE / RAPID ACTION BATTALION (RAB) RANKS

 Director General (DG)

 Additional Director General (ADG)
 Director
 Deputy Director (DD)
 Senior Assistant Director (Sr AD)
 Assistant Director (AD)


Rank Badge of Superior Officers

Bangladesh Police

Addition Addition Addition Senior

IGP DIG SP ASP
al IGP al DIG al SP ASP

Subordinate Officer


UN-ARMED BRANCH ARMED BRANCH

 Inspector of Police  Armed Inspector

 Sub-Inspector (SI) / Town  Armed Sub-Inspector
Sub-Inspector (TSI) (Armed SI)
 Assistant Sub-Inspector  Armed Assistant Sub-
(ASI) / Assistant Town Sub- Inspector (Armed ASI)
Inspector (ATSI)  Naik

● Constable

18
INDUSTRIAL POLICE RAPID ACTION BATTALION

 Deputy Assistant Director (DAD)  Deputy Assistant Director (DAD)

 Circle Commander (Sub-Inspector)  Sergeant / Sub-Inspector (SI)
 Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI)  Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI)
 Naik  Naik
 Constable  Constable

TRAFFIC DIVISION

 Traffic Inspector (TI)

 Sergeant / Town Sub-Inspector (TSI)
 Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) / Assistant Town Sub-Inspector (ATSI)
 Traffic Constable

Rank Badge of Subordinate Officers

Inspector SI Sergeant ASI Naik Constable

4.Strategic Partnership

Under the strategic partnership there are -

1. a National Community Policing Advisory Committee Chaired by the Secretary of the
Ministry of Home Affairs,
2. a National Community Policing Co-ordination Committee headed by the IGP or an
Additional IGP at the Police
Headquarters,
3. a Crime Prevention Center has been set up in the police Headquarters having the DIG
(Crime) at the focal point.The Commissioners of the Metropolitan Police units and the Range
DIGs of the respective police Ranges also have metro or divisional cells of community
policing.

19
4.1.Implementation Partnership with community

The implementation partnership starts at the district level –

Firstly, there is a district community-policing cell in every district under the Superintendent
of Police. The Additional SP or an ASP looks after the district community-policing cell.
Secondly, in the police station level there is a community policing cell having a full-time
community policing officer (CPO) who coordinates the community policing activities in the
police station jurisdiction.

4.2.Strength
As of December 2012, the strength of the Bangladesh Police is approximately 152,000. The
Police Population ratioin Bangladesh is 1:1133.

4.3.Community Policing in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh Police community policing is an organization wide philosophy and

management approach that promotes community, government and police partnerships,
proactive, problem solving, and community engagement to address the causes of crime, fear
of crime and community issues. Bangladesh Police have been trying to implement this
community policing philosophy nationwide. The Police Reform Program (PRP), a UNDP
funded project, has been providing Bangladesh Police with technical assistance to implement
community-policing nationwide.

Bangladesh police has been implementing a community policing system, which is very much
similar to that of the western style of community policing forum (CPF). Community policing
promotes equal partnership between the police and the community. Bangladesh Police has
identified two tier of partnerships, such as - the strategic partnership and the implementation
partnership.

4.4.Beat Policing

In police terminology, a beat is the territory and time that a police officer patrols. Beat
policing is based on traditional policing (late 19th century) and utilizes the close relationship
with the community members within the assigned Beat to strengthen Police effectiveness and
encourage cooperative efforts to make a safer community.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police is implementing the Beat Policing in the Dhaka city. In this
regard each Police Station is divided into some Police Beats and for each Beat there is an
assigned Beat Policing Officer.

4.5.Women in Bangladesh Police

Although the history of Bangladesh Police is so long but the history of women in Bangladesh
Police is not so long. Women first joined Bangladesh Police in 1974. Fourteen women police
officers were appointed in the Special Branch (SB) in 1974. Of them seven were in the rank
of Sub-Inspector (SI) and seven were in the rank of Constable.

The first female uniformed police members were recruited two years later. In 1976, fifteen
women police officers were appointed in the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) for the first
time in the rank of Constable and Sub-Inspector (SI).

20
 However, no women were recruited in the supervising posts in those days. In 1986, only one
woman BCS Cadre police officer Ms. Fatema Begum was appointed as Assistant
Superintendent of Police (ASP) through 6th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination.
She is the pioneer of women as BCS Cadre officer in Bangladesh Police. Now she is serving
as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in Bangladesh Police.

After two years in 1988 four women joined Bangladesh Police through the 7th Bangladesh
Civil Service examination. After long interval from 1989 to 1998, in 1999 eight women
officers were appointed through the 18th Bangladesh Civil Service examination.

4.6.Selection and Training

The recruitment process differs according to the level of the position, and direct entry (where
an applicant does not have to start at the lowest level) is possible. The educational
requirements increase with recruitment for higher posts.

A minimum bachelor degree is required for ASP, SI and Sergeant while Secondary School
Certificate is must for the constable. Recruitment is conducted in the following three tiers:
• In the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)
• In the rank of Sub-Inspector (SI) or Sergeant
• In the rank of Constable

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP)

The Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) are recruited by Bangladesh Public Service
Commission (BPSC) through the extremely competitive Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS)
examination. They undergo a one year long hardship and effective training in the Bangladesh
Police Academy as Probationary ASP. After passed out from academy they also undergo an
orientation training of six months in the district level as a probationer.

Sub-Inspector (SI)

Sub-Inspector is recruited by Police Headquarters centrally. They undergo a one year long
hardship and effective training in the Bangladesh Police Academy as Outside Cadet Sub-
Inspector. After that they have also two years probationary period in different police units as
part of training.

Sergeant

Sergeant is recruited by Police Headquarters centrally. After appointment they undergo a six
month long hardship and effective training in the Bangladesh Police Academy as
Probationary Sergeant. After passed out from the academy they also undergo an orientation
training of six months in the places of posting as a probationer.

Constable
Constable is recruited in the district level. They undergo a six month long training in the
Police Training Centre as the Trainee Recruit Constable (TRC).

21
4.7.Training Institutions
Bangladesh Police Academy, established in 1912 in Sardah, Rajshahi is the central training
institution of Bangladesh Police. The Police Staff College was established in 2000 in
Dhaka.Bangladesh Police also maintains Police Training Centre (PTC) in Tangail, Rangpur,
Khulna and Noakhali. The Detective Training School was established in 1962 in Dhaka.

List of Training Institutions

• Police Staff College, Dhaka
• Bangladesh Police Academy, Sardah, Rajshahi
• Police Training Centre, Tangail
• Police Training Centre, Rangpur
• Police Training Centre, Khulna
• Police Training Centre, Noakhali
• Detective Training School (DTS), Rajarbag, Dhaka
• Forensic Training Institute, Malibag, Dhaka
• Special Branch Training School, Malibag, Dhaka
• Police Peacekeepers' Training School, Rajarbag, Dhaka
• Police Special Training School (PSTS), Betbunia, Rangamati
• Traffic and Driving School (TDS), Mill Barrack, Dhaka
• Motor Driver Training School (MDTS), Jamalpur
• Telecommunications Training Center, Rajarbag, Dhaka
• Dhaka Metropolitan Police Training Academy, Rajarbag, Dhaka
• Rapid Action Battalion Forces Training School, Gazipur, Dhaka
• Armed Police Battalion Training School
Moreover there are in-service training centres in different districts.

4.8.Police Medals

Police medals are awarded every year in the annual Police Week Parade. It is awarded both
for bravery and service.
Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM)

• Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM)

• Bangladesh Police Medal - Service (BPM-Seba)

President Police Medal (PPM)

• President Police Medal (PPM)
• President Police Medal - Service (PPM-Seba)

4.9.Vehicles

Different kinds of vehicles are used by Bangladesh Police. Mostly used vehicles are
motorcycles and pickup vans.

There are patrol car, truck, bus are in this fleet. Besides those Helicopter, Command Vehicle,
Crime Scene Vehicle, APC, Riot Car, Water Canon, Evidence Collection Van are used.
Highway Police have vehicles like Nissan Patrol, Nissan Sunny, Hyundai Sonata and many
more vehicles in their fleet. Besides these, many requisition vehicles of public are used in
emergency needs. Most Police Vehicles are in shabby state; there is also a lack of Tow Truck
Vehicles

22
4.10.Criticism

Bangladesh Police is criticized of having political influence in all levels . The major decisions
are taken under political conditions. Corruption is widespread among the law enforcement;
custody deaths and torture is prevalent. Journalists have been detained and sent to prison for
publishing criticism of the ruling Awami League government, including the editor of the
Amar Desh newspaper Mahmudur Rahman, who was sentenced to prison and spent more
than 9 months in prison for publishing an anti-government story. During Hartal they assault
physically protesters and harass them.

There have been widespread reports of traffic police, and ranks obtaining bribes. Most
Policemen are less-trained, less-educated and also there is a lack of fund implemented for
their payrolls; the salary for a police is not enough.

Logistics support and other facilities are very poor. Although there negative attitude edges of
the positive things, Bangladesh Police has got tremendous success in busting terrorist
activities in the country.

4.11.Weapons

The weapons used by Bangladesh police are:

• 9mm Pistols
• L.M.G (Light Machine Gun)
• M.M.G ( Medium Machine Gun)
• .38 Smith and Wesson
• Shot gun (12 Bore)
• 7.62 mm Chinese Rifle
• 7.62 x 51 G3 Rifle
• AK 47
• Tear Shell (Gas Gun)
• 7.62 Sub Machine Gun
• Gas Grenade
• Pepper Spray

Unarmed Police use "Lathi" that means stick for needs.

4.12.Contribution to UN Peace Keeping Operations

Since, its first mission in 1989, in Namibia the Bangladesh Police contributes to U.N. peace-
keeping missions including in Ivory Coast, Sudan, Darfur, Liberia, Kosovo, East Timor, DR
Congo, Angola, Haiti and other countries.

In 2005, Bangladesh Police sent its first Formed Police Unit (FPU) to the UN Peacekeeping
mission in Ivory Coast. Bangladesh is the top police contributing country of UN. At present
2050 members of Bangladesh Police is deployed in six countries in seven UN Missions
including two Female FPU one in Haiti and another in Congo.

23
List of completed and present UNPOL and FPU Peacekeeping missions participated by
Bangladesh Pol

5.Vision and mission:

Vision

To provide service to all citizens and make Bangladesh a better and safer place to live and
work.

24
Mission

• To uphold the rule of law

• To ensure safety and security of citizens

• To prevent and detect crime
• To bring offenders to justice
●To maintain peace and public order

5.1.SALARIES AND WORKING CONDITIONS

For most officers, life in the police force is difficult and unrewarding. Conditions of service
and facilities, particularly for the subordinate ranks, are abysmal and drive police morale
downwards; salaries for gazetted officers are far from generous and among the lowest in the
civilservice.

For instance the monthly pay and allowances of the IGP, the highest ranking in the force,
amounts to Tk23,000 ($333); at the very bottom of the pay scale, the monthly salary of a
police constable is only Tk5,410 ($78.50). For a small percentage of police officers (3.3 per
cent) – surprisingly most of whom are from the subordinate ranks – participation in a UN
peacekeeping mission can raise their monthly salaries fifteen-fold if not more.73 However,
peacekeeping opportunities are too rare to make a difference in most officers’ lives.

5.2.PROMOTIONS, TRANSFERS ANDEVALUATIONS

Abuse of the transfer system not only enables corruption and politicisation of the force, but
also promotes passivity in police operations. “We can’t carry out our duties when
we are so insecure about our jobs and positions all the time”, explained a junior officer in
Dhaka. “We have no safeguards from our superiors who can punish us [through transfers]
without right to appeal. The police themselves must be given access to justice and the right to
defend themselves”.186 As a matter of policy, officers should remain at their duty station for
two years before being transferred, but the police should also consider increasing the period
between rotations to three or four years. This could allow officers to develop requisite skills
and local knowledge for effective crime control and build the relationships necessary for
successful community policing efforts.

The senior ranks must also be insulated from politically motivated transfers. The IGP should
be a tenured position and appointees should be selected by a neutral body composed of
police, government and elected officials, including those from the opposition, as well as
representatives from civil society. The PIO should also be empowered to investigate police
officials suspected of buying and selling posts. The profession’s prestige should be raised,

25
5.3.COORDINATION

The proliferation of police reform initiatives has, in some instances, resulted in a duplication
of efforts, misallocation of resources and a lack of communications. “This is partly because
the donors and the police disagree on the meaning of police reform and partly because of the
UN’s intolerance of competition, particularly when the competition is smaller, working with
a tiny fraction of the PRP’s budget and doing better a job at it [reform] in
some areas”, a Western diplomat said.187 There is no firm delineation of roles and
responsibilities among various actors and agencies involved in police reform. Similarly,
policing and justice reform projects are rarely linked and exist largely in parallel. Given that
some donors such as the U.S. and Japan prefer not to fund policing programs through the UN,
and the reluctance of the PRP to formally partner with smaller community policing initiatives
(like the TAF and GTZ programs, see Appendix D), all efforts should be coordinated to
ensure that each stakeholder emphasises the success of the larger reform.

6.1.CONCLUSION

The government of Bangladesh should scrap the Police Act of 1861, an outdated regulation
better suited to colonial rule than policing in a modern, democratic country. There is almost
universal consensus among the police, military, relevant segments of civil society and donors
that absent a new police law, undue interference in police affairs will continue. While the
Police Ordinance (2007) is not perfect, it is a substantial improvement over the law currently
on the books, and should be placed before parliament for debate and review. If a new law is
not passed it will almost certainly mean that the police will remain a brutal and corrupt
institution and continue to be ineffective when dealing with even the most basic law and
order issues. It will also provide the military the space to increase its role in government
decision-making.

Whatever the fate of the Police Ordinance (2007), some necessary reforms are possible
irrespective of what law is in force, if there is sufficient will and capacity. However, they
must be preceded by a new mindset on the part of the political executive. If police
functioning is to be truly improved, working conditions and salaries must be increased
immediately and operations must be insulated from political interference. Postings, transfers
and recruitments must be made on merit solely, and the best way of ensuring this is by
strengthening mechanisms like the PIO department and establishing ones like the PCC. They
must be allowed to perform their supervisory role free from political pressures. For that to
happen, they should be transparently constituted, with parity between members from ruling
and opposition benches. While donor-funded efforts to improve police infrastructure and
technical capacity are certainly welcome, an excessive focus on these areas could produce
only cosmetic changes at best and help entrench corrupt and abusive structures at worst. A
greater emphasis should be placed on police governance, particularly building professional
and honest structures shielded from political interference. Moreover some donors should
move away from their nearly exclusive concentration on counterterrorism. Useful as this may
be in some circumstances, without wider police reform, a focus on counter-terrorism only
makes marginal security improvements and on occasion may decrease the willingness to
reform and promote or legitimise corrupt structures. Counter-terrorism activities need to be
seen in a wider context, including the relationship between police and society, and the links
between impunity, corruption, human rights abuses and radicalism..

26
6.2.RECOMMENDATIONS

To the Government of Bangladesh:

1. Replace the Police Act of 1861 with a law similar to the draft Police Ordinance (2007) by:

(a) placing the order before the national parliament for detailed debate and review;

(b) urging the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs to examine

provisions in greater detail and provide recommendations; and

2. Reduce police corruption and protect officers from political manipulation by:

a) removing corrupt, inefficient or politically biased officers from senior positions and
positions of authority over the police;

b) preventing premature transfers of officers by requiring them to remain at their duty stations
for
two years except in special cases;

3. Rebuild police morale and increase their efficiency by:

a) allocating more funds for improving facilities and securing the welfare of police rank and
file and their families, and ensuring this money is spent on better salaries, housing, transport
facilities and health care for the rank and file, rather than the well-being of senior officers;

b) creating a fund, administered jointly by the police and parliamentarians, for public service
awards
for exceptional policing;

c) modernising training methods and procedures and the recruitment system; and

d) increasing police numbers.

4. Improve police performance and redress public grievances by:

a) empowering the National Human Rights Commission to investigate serious cases of police
abuse, including custodial deaths and sexual offences against female prisoners and
recommend methods of accountability; and

b) establishing a Police Complaints Commission similar to the one envisioned by the draft
Police Ordinance (2007).

5. Ensure a greater presence of women in the police by:

a) increasing the number of female police officers and facilities for women officers and
detainees in police stations;

b) increasing the visibility of female police officers and improving their standards of training;
.

27
7.Bibliography;

European Community and United Nations Development Program (2006)

Financing Agreement: Anti-Trafficking of Human Beings within the Police Reform Program.

Frankena W.K. (1970) A model for analyzing a philosophy of education in J.R.

Martin, Ed (1970) Readings in the Philosophy of Education: A Study of Curriculum, Allan

and Bacon, Boston.

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1973) Police Regulations of Bengal

(1943), Deputy Controller, Bangladesh Government Press, Dhaka.

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (1989) The Police Act (1861), Deputy
Controller, Bangladesh Government Press, Dhaka.

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and United Nations Development

Program (2004) .

National Execution Manual published by the Economic Relations Division of the Ministry of
Finance, Dhaka.

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and United Nations Development

Program (2005) Project Document: Strengthening Bangladesh Police, signed 11 January,
Dhaka.

Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and United Nations Development

Program (2006) Police Reform Program Work-Plan Year 2006,Program Management Team,
Dhaka.
http://www.mha.gov.bd accessed 27 september 2014..

http://www.police.gov.bd accessed 27 september 2014..

Kaczmarek A. and Packer J. (1996) Defining the Role of the General Duties Constable: A
Job Analysis, Australian Center for Policing Research, Adelaide.

Kirkpatrick D.L. (1967) cited in Brookfield (1986) Understanding and Facilitating Adult
Learning, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco.

Training Service Center (1999) Initial Police Training: International Literature Review, New
Zealand Police, Wellington.

United Nations Development Program (2002) Human Security in Bangladesh:

In Search of Human Dignity, UNDP, Bangladesh.

28