Speakers at a dialogue on Saturday highlighted the importance of engaging political parties in governance, stressing that law and order reforms hinge on political will.
The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) hosted the dialogue on law and order reform at the CIRDAP auditorium.
The event brought together an impressive array of experts, policymakers, legal professionals, and activists to discuss the critical challenges facing Bangladesh’s law enforcement and propose actionable solutions.
Moderating the dialogue, CGS executive director Zillur Rahman, more popularly known as the host of the record-breaking talkshow 'Tritiyo Matra' on Channel I, said one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh is governance.
The word “reform” is now in vogue and there are currently many reform commissions active, but it remains to be seen how effective these commissions will be.
Maj. Gen. (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman said the entire security sector must be reformed; policy reform alone will not suffice to bring about actual change.
"It does not matter how many commissions are created, reports written, or discussions held—without engagement from political parties, reforms will never happen," he said.
Currently, Muniruzzaman said the commissions are not adequately consulting with political parties.
Additionally, there is insufficient focus on the mental health of police officers. Modern policing techniques and scientific methods must be integrated into the system, he said.
"Citizens should be made aware of the kind of service police are duty-bound to provide. Police records need to be declassified periodically to ensure accountability. At present, the security forces operate with impunity due to a lack of oversight," said the analyst.
He said oversight mechanisms and a comprehensive code of conduct must be implemented. Intelligence services need to be brought under a review system to determine whether their actions are justifiable.
"An overarching security architecture must be formed, or the security forces will continue to operate without accountability. The media should play a role as an independent watchdog in this regard," he said.
Zahir Uddin Swapon, the head of the BNP's Media Cell, said a political reform process is currently underway. "When the previous regime fell, and before Dr. Yunus took power, the nation was without a government."
During that time, he said the situation was kept under relatively controlled by the shared sense of duty among the people who participated in the uprising.
"This sense of duty must be utilised when deciding how to reform the law and order system. It must also be determined whether the focus will be on police service or police control."
Dr. M Enamul Huq emphasised the importance of individual courage in resisting unethical orders. "Without this, reforms cannot succeed."
He proposed establishing a commission to analyse the findings of previous reform efforts and evaluate their implementation.
Munira Khan, the lifelong democracy activist and now chair of CGS, highlighted the historical misuse of police powers in the region, dating back to British rule.
She called for exemplary punishments for injustices to ensure that reform initiatives are taken seriously and succeed in their objectives.