DHAKA, Nov 09, 2024 (BSS) - Shipping Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr. M Sakhawat Hussain today said forming an independent police commission is a must to build a humane police. 

“We’ve to form an independent police commission urgently to transform the force into a humane one from monstrous. We held talks with police members at different levels after August 8 (after formation of the interim government) and they demanded forming the police commission at that time,” he said. 

The member of the police commission should be limited maximum five and an officer from the judiciary can be appointed as its head, he opined.

He was addressing as the chief guest a seminar titled “Police Commission Formation and other reform proposals to ensure public oriented police services” at Syndicate Hall of the North South University organized by its South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SAIPG) here.

The adviser said the police do not want to be politicized anymore.
He said, “It is the time to form the police force free from political interference after the bloody July-August revolution. The confidence of the people in police has to be brought back in any means.  So, the relationship between the police and the people needs to be reestablished. Our students are helping police to this end.” 

Sakhawat, former home adviser, also said that citizen committees with noted personalities can be formed at the police stations to help the force.

He stressed the need for introducing two step processes relinquishing the three steps one in recruitment of members in police to stop corruption and irregularities in the force.  
“There is no scope of getting promotion at the lower level of police. Constables go to retirement as constable, which are very unfortunate. A university graduate has become frustrated after seeing no hope of getting promotion and get involved in irregularities and corruption,” he said. 

He opined that the corruption in police could be reduced manifolds by increasing advantages for the police personnel at the lower level.

The adviser said high police officials should know how their subordinates work, adding, “A BCS police cadre can be posted at the police station for one year after their basic training at Sarda Police Academy.” 

He said the recruitment of the police members could be done centrally instead of district wise appointment to ensure transparency and accountability in recruiting police.

 “In my opinion, police should be recruited through the police commission,” he added.
Former Home Secretary and BNP Chairperson’s Adviser SM Zahirul Islam, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Barrister Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain, and addition DIG Md Mohibul Karim, also spoke on the occasion. North South University Vice-Chancellor Prof Abdul Hannan Chowdhury gave the concluding address. 

SIPG Director of North South University Sheikh Toufiq M Haque moderated the seminar while Law Department Prof Dr Md Rizwannul Islam, assistant Prof of Political Science and Sociology Department Dr Ishrat Zakia Sultana presented the roadmap to form the possible police commission.