Pro-people policing has dominated the political discourse in Bangladesh in the post-July uprising period. To call a spade a spade, the image of Bangladesh Police has been deeply scarred during the 2024 July uprising. The July uprising should be a wake-up call for the police, which never had such a horrific experience in independent Bangladesh. The event could work as a catalyst for Bangladesh Police to overhaul and purge itself to regain public trust.

Pro-people policing is a new mechanism in policing in Bangladesh. It underlines a shift from conventional reactive to proactive policing strategy to curb crime and disorder in society working in tandem with the community. Such a strategy is aimed at understanding community concerns and co-creating remedies. It is also to create an equitable society by engaging community, addressing prevailing law and order issues, building public trust and improving the overall quality of life. The main components of pro-people policing are: community engagement, problem-oriented policing, focus on crime prevention, accountability and transparency, and smart policing. Such policing is essential for society. This innovative approach can ensure accountability and transparency by fostering public trust and creating greater collaboration between the police and the public. Ultimately, it optimises the police service delivery and enhances the image of the police in the community. Pro-people policing is imperative in the present context. The police are bestowed with powers to maintain law and order and ensure security of the citizens. Unfortunately, however, the police have been being exploited by different regimes for years in Bangladesh. The total policing system was nefariously politicised in the recent past.

Pro-people policing can contribute a lot towards establishing peace in society. This approach is a requirement to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-16, which focuses on building peaceful and inclusive societies and providing access to justice for all. One of the main areas that this SDG addresses is strengthening the rule of law. A pro-people policing approach can accelerate the march to achieve this goal. Furthermore, pro-people policing is a cornerstone for democratisation and establishing good governance in Bangladesh. It can ensure an environment conducive to do business, boost the confidence of entrepreneurs and attract foreign direct investments. As a result, it will significantly contribute to leapfrog the GDP growth and uplift socio-economic development of
Bangladesh.

The following measures can be taken urgently to turn Bangladesh Police into a pro-people force:

1) Community policing can play a crucial role in making the police pro-people. If good people of society are incorporated into community policing committee, they can partner with the local police to effectively address social maladies.

2) Beat policing, a policing strategy based on collaborative efforts of both the police and the community aiming at removing the fear of crime, is very innovative and this approach can contribute immensely to bolster intelligence-led policing in society. This tool is very effective in a densely populated country like Bangladesh. If the notion of beat policing is utilised properly, it can expedite the stride of pro-people policing in Bangladesh.

 3) 999, the toll-free national emergency helpline has popularised Bangladesh Police in society. The paramount objective of this service is to give immediate assistance to the citizens in their emergencies. This 24/7 service is an effective platform for Bangladesh Police to gain people’s trust.

 4) Professionalism is essential to fulfil the vision of pro-people policing in Bangladesh. To inculcate professionalism in police personnel, crush programmes should be initiated to enhance the skills of serving police officers. Special emphasis should be given on training programmes. “First-rate training, excellent service”, the slogan of Bangladesh Police Academy, should be the philosophy of all training programmes in the sector. There is no doubt that the investment in police training has the highest return as it impacts the whole society.

 5) Finally, proactive policing and feedback relationship, two novel approaches can build a bridge between the police and the public, and thus the police can optimise the delivery of its service.

Political parties can play a pivotal role to minimise the gaps between the police and the people working as a go-between. It is to be noted that BNP, the protagonist in the current political arena of Bangladesh, has formed a police reform committee within their party. The committee has submitted some recommendations to the Police Reform Commission formed by the interim government. All political parties should incorporate the police reform issues in their election manifesto underlining depoliticisation of the police and implement them, if elected to power for the greater benefits of the countrymen.

An independent police commission can act successfully to hold the police personnel legally accountable for their actions in course of their professional duties, which is a pre-requisite for pro-people policing. It is a positive sign that most of the political parties have pledged to the Consensus Commission formed by the interim government to establish an independent Police Commission.

In conclusion, the necessity of pro-people policing is gaining momentum day by day. Bangladesh Police have a golden opportunity to capitalise this awareness in the post-July uprising era. The government should take some practical and bold initiatives for the sake of pro-people policing. If pro-people policing strategy can be steadied, the people of the country will benefit greatly, and Bangladesh Police can regain its image lost in the recent past. All stakeholders had better work together to institutionalise pro-people policing in Bangladesh.

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The writer is Deputy Police Commissioner, Dhaka Metropolitan Police