Home Minister appeals to France for Law enforcement reform

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has sought France’s cooperation in police reform and capacity building.

He made the appeal when the French Ambassador to Bangladesh, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, paid a courtesy call on him at his ministry office in the Bangladesh Secretariat here on Sunday.

The minister also said that improving the country’s law and order situation is the top priority of the current government, emphasizing ongoing efforts to reform and strengthen law enforcement agencies, including the police.

Welcoming the ambassador at the outset, the minister noted that the government has undertaken short, medium, and long-term plans to restore the image of law enforcement agencies and enhance their operational capacity.

The meeting featured detailed discussions on a range of bilateral issues, including law and order, security cooperation, mob control, counter-terrorism, police reform, restructuring of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), forensic collaboration, mutual legal assistance agreements, and identification of new areas of cooperation.

“We are working very seriously on police reform. However, this development cannot happen overnight; we aim to build a people-friendly police force through phased and continuous efforts,” he said.

He acknowledged that the interim government had faced challenges in controlling mob incidents, but added that since the current elected government assumed office, such incidents have largely subsided, with only a few isolated cases. He reiterated that the government does not tolerate mob violence or disorder, while ensuring democratic space for political parties to hold meetings without causing public inconvenience.