Sixty percent of those taking part in a survey have demanded investigations into allegations of human rights violations by the police through an independent organisation.

Many also supported forming a permanent investigative commission led by a retired justice of the High Court to probe such allegations against the police according to the survey titled ‘The Kind of Police We Want.’ Currently, no independent body investigates such allegations.

71.5% support punishing police for excessive force: Survey

The survey findings were revealed on Tuesday by the Public Relations Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Section 18 of the National Human Rights Commission Act 2009 bars the Commission from investigating allegations against the police or other law enforcement agencies.

Of the remaining respondents, another group advocates empowering the Human Rights Commission through legal amendments to investigate such allegations.

The survey also uncovered that 58.9% of respondents support creating a regulatory agency or commission to ensure police accountability and shield them from undue influence. Meanwhile, 41.1% favour establishing an independent ombudsman for the police within a constitutional framework.

44.9% dissatisfied with online police clearance: Survey

The Home Ministry conducted this survey with the participation of 24,442 people. Among them, 86.6% were aged between 18 and 44. However, nearly 95% of the respondents were male.

Of the respondents, 36.4% were employed, 27.2% were students, 7.6% were businessmen, and 7.1% belonged to other significant categories. Most respondents were from Dhaka district, followed by Chattogram and Cumilla.