Staff Reporter :
Over 80 percent of students believe that establishing an independent police commission can create a citizen-friendly and accountable policing system, according to a study published on Sunday.
The study, titled “Building a Citizen-Friendly, Accountable, and Professional Policing System: Expectations and Proposals from Students,” was jointly conducted by the Center on Budget and Policy and the Governance and Policy Research Team of Dhaka University.
It surveyed over 2,000 students from various universities across the country during October and November of last year to gather scientifically valuable opinions and recommendations from the youth, who are considered the key driving force behind the July Movement.
The findings were unveiled on Sunday at Mozaffar Ahmad Chowdhury Auditorium, University of Dhaka. During the event, keynote speaker Professor Kazi Maruful Islam highlighted that only 10.5 percent of students reported receiving satisfactory services from the police, while 40 percent admitted to having paid bribes to access police services.
Respondents also expressed concern about the deteriorating relationship between the police and the general public in Bangladesh, suggesting that only proper service delivery can rebuild trust.
They noted that the current legal framework governing the police, formulated in 1861, is outdated and requires urgent reform to meet contemporary needs.
The study revealed that four-fifths of participants believe an independent police commission, free from political influence, would significantly enhance the efficiency of the police force.
Key recommendations from the study included increasing police
manpower, raising salaries for non-cadre officers, and implementing merit-based, corruption-free promotion systems to foster motivation within the force.
Participants also emphasized the need for publishing updated case and complaint data online, conducting regular community discussions, and establishing impartial, independent digital complaint centers.
At the program, Dr. Jan Meyer-Sahling, Professor of Politics at the University of Nottingham, underscored the importance of ethics and integrity in police training.
Sheela Tasneem Haq, Senior Governance Specialist at UNDP Bangladesh, stressed the need to ensure the independence and sustainability of the Police Reform Commission.
In his closing remarks, Professor Dr. Taiabur Rahman from the Department of Development Studies discussed the role of human rights in policing and emphasized the importance of implementing laws effectively rather than merely drafting them.
