Keep serving the people to sustain public trust: PM Hasina urges police

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday asked the police personnel to continue their service towards the people to sustain the public trust they have earned.

"Serve the people keeping the humanitarian aspects in mind so that the trust and confidence among the mass people regarding the police force remain intact," she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating the Police Week-2023 at the capital's Rajarbagh Police Lines.

She said that police are now serving the people as the force of the people while in the past they used to live in fear of police.

"Now they know that police serve them and stand beside them and gaining trust of people is very much important for any force. You (police force) are doing that," she said.

Hasina said her government wanted to develop the country's police force to the standard of the developed countries.

"In keeping compatibility with the developed countries we want to build our police force a skilled and smart police force and drive the country towards development," she told the programme.

She urged all to ensure that no one can put any obstacle in the country's march towards development and prosperity.

She recalled that the opposition BNP-Jamaat alliance unleashed arson attacks on the people in 2013, 2014 and 2015. She hoped that these kinds of heinous acts will not be repeated in the country.

"I thank all law enforcing agencies including the police force for their courageous role to stop those attacks," she said.

Riding on an open jeep the premier inspected the parade and took the salute.

She also gave away Bangladesh Police Medal (BPM) and President Police Medal (PPM) awards among the 115 police and RAB members for their courageous deeds throughout the year in 2022.

Fifteen of them awarded with BPM-gallantry, 25 with President PPM-gallantry, 25 with BPM-Service and 50 with PPM-Service.

The PM said her government is procuring two helicopters from Russia to turn the police as a three-dimensional force alongside working to establish a separate aviation wing for the police.

"We have already taken measures to purchase two helicopters from Russia to make the mobility of police three dimensional. A process is going on to form a separate complete aviation unit," she said.

She said that the government has been working to build a developed and prosperous "Sonar Bangladesh" free from hunger and poverty by 2041 by upholding the status of a developing nation.

"That Bangladesh will be a Smart Bangladesh in knowledge, science and technology. The digital devices will be used in everything such as our business, trade, education, health and the government,'' she said.

She also mentioned that Bangladesh Police would be built in a smarter way by giving them education on science and technology and proper training.

PM Hasina alerted the police about conspiracies being hatched against Bangladesh.

"Conspiracies are being hatched when Bangladesh is advancing towards prosperity," she said.

She said that police had successfully broken the base of the militant organisations following the Holey Artisan which has brightened the country's image globally.

"Police are also successfully checking the smuggling and human trafficking," she said.

She also highly praised the police, particularly the women members of the force, as they have achieved global fame for their professional and sincere work in the UN peace missions.

She said Bangladesh must keep the pace of development despite the world is going through an economic recession.

Hasina reiterated her call to grow more food, bringing every inch of land under cultivation to keep Bangladesh safe from global recession and food crisis.

"You all have to grow something at your working places as Bangladesh never has to face global economic recession and food crisis," she said.

Briefly describing her government's measures taken for ensuring the overall development of the Bangladesh Police, she said that they increased the allocation for police in the budget to Tk800 crore from Tk400 crore, after assuming office for the first time in 1996.

She said the government has ensured ration for all the police personnel including the retired ones and introduced risk allowances alongside promoting a female police personnel as the superintendent of police (SP) in 1998.

The Prime Minister said they have built a Police Welfare Trust by giving Tk5 crore as seed money and established the Police Staff College in 2000.

She said they have built 25 police stations, 86 investigation centres, 58 highway police outposts, 150 police camps alongside appointing 803 sub inspectors, 507 sergeants, 14,680 constables during her first tenure 1996-2001 period.

After assuming power for three consecutive terms since 2009, she said her government has taken various measures to turn Bangladesh into a self-dependent state and Bangladesh Police as modern, people friendly.

She said they have increased the posts for grade-1 and 2 to solve the problem over promotion.

Hasina said that the government has created Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), Tourist Police, River Police, Special Security and Protection Battalion, Industrial Police, Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) while two battalions of the armed police and one battalion of the RAB in Rohingya camps to ensure their security.

She said that DNA Lab, Automated Finger Print Identification System (AFIS) and modern forensic lab have been established in police, adding that such labs would be built in every division in future.

Mentioning that cybercrimes have appeared as a big problem across the globe, she said a complete cyber police unite will be formed soon.

The prime minister said they have taken measures to develop the Central Police Hospital and build divisional hospitals for police in each division, adding that a step has already taken to build a divisional hospital in Dhaka division.