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STRAIGHT LINE

Influencing law enforcement

MUHAMMAD NURUL HUDA
IT is indeed sad to note that the media reports are no longer guarded and understated about the allegation of politicisation of the police force of the country. In fact, both front page lead news and the comments in the editorial in the print media clearly portray the nation's concern about the negative effects of such alleged blatant politicisation on our body politic. In their justified anguish the media has sought the intervention of the chief executive of the country to stem the rot and take corrective measures before the nation finds itself in an ungovernable scenario.
The ground reality is that the ruling parties in our situation, in their misplaced exuberance, forget that the police was the dominant visible symbol of repressive imperial alien power and that de-colonisation requires large-scale behavioural and attitudinal changes of the political masters and the public servants belonging to this vital organ of the state. Thus, while admonitions from the pulpit come in plenty for desired behaviour on the part of enforcement officials, in reality, unhealthy pressures are regularly exerted to carry out the wishes of the ruling coterie in the most expeditious manner. It is the continuance of such regressive mentality that has brought us to the present lamentable scenario wherein the police outfit has been described as an appendage of the political government. Nothing could be more sad and frustrating than that.
If we want to get out of the aforementioned undesirable situation, we have to take quick action to repair our badly bruised democratic credentials. First of all, the police needs to be insulated from political executive and other interferences in promotions, postings and security of tenure. The people must not get an impression that the investigation agencies are very efficient while taking the required action against those not in power, and that their edge is blunted against those in power. If police act impartially, credibility would be restored to the investigative authorities. This is very important because as long as the impression persists that a policeman is not an unbiased friend of the people, the concept of an orderly society cannot not be materialised.
The reality is that the police continue to be the principal investigating agency for the State under the criminal procedure code in addition to being the primary outfit responsible for prevention of crime. They should, therefore, strive hard for upholding the constitutional objective of protection of an individual's dignity and civic rights. Since justice is the ensuring of civil liberties it is only proper that the police truly become its protector and defender.
A politicised police force will not be able to ensure a sense of security in the community and will not succeed in enlisting the cooperation and participation of people in crime prevention programmes. Similarly, the so-called political appointees may not appreciate that their job is not to encroach upon the rights and liberty of the individual and the premonition is that they may look upon themselves as mere pawns in the hands of governing elite. They cannot be expected to be accountable to the real sovereign, the people. Such policemen will inevitably compromise the dignity of the individual citizen. In such a scenario, democracy will gather deficits at our peril.
There are credible fears that the police image in Bangladesh will suffer a grave damage if politicisation continues unabated. We already have the unfortunate spectacle of a police service in whose investigative fairness the major opposition political parties and a sizable section of the civil society entertain grave doubt. Criminal cases relating to victims of diabolical and dismal murders that are considered as acts of political vendetta are not investigated properly, according to the versions of complainants and relations. There are persistently vociferous demands to arrange for proper investigation of sensational cases by external agencies, including international organisations. Without doubt, such appeals and petitioning indicate the deep distrust of the impartiality of the State’s investigative apparatus. No sensible Bangladeshi would feel at ease in such an unsettling environment. It must be appreciated very clearly that the regulatory functions of the State like maintenance and preservation of public order and investigation of criminal cases cannot be arrogated to private bodies. These functions cannot be performed through contractual arrangements either. Only persons with solemnly sworn loyalty to the State who have been examined, selected and verified in a constitutional process are expected to conscientiously perform the onerous responsibilities without profit motive.
It is the considered view of many that as long as the policing function comprising detection of crime and prosecution of criminals remains under the control of the executive it may not be easy to bring about a reduction in unjust political interference in police functions. The well-grounded fear is that the undesirable subordination of the investigative police to the executive breeds a cynicism that corrodes all positive cultural values. The investigating organ needs autonomy and constitutional protection made possible through radical conceptual and structural changes. Tinkering with the issue will not help.
The writer is a columnist of The Daily Star.