BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the police have been turned into kingmakers.
“All of us have used the police as a weapon—for power, for strength. But the police themselves have also been used. Every government wants to keep the police satisfied. This very mindset has destroyed us,” he said on Saturday while speaking at a roundtable discussion, titled “Need for Police Reform: Civil Society perspective” organized by The Daily Star at Kawran Bazar on Saturday.
He noted that police corruption is the most discussed issue, as at the end of the day, everyone has to go to the police.
“From our party, whatever is necessary for a transparent police force, we will do it through the law,” said Salahuddin.
Mohammad Iqbal, member of the Police Reform Commission, said: “We often say that the police are corrupt, but civil society does not think about their limitations. “
He remarked that if society cannot address financial issues that police personnel face during investigations, the problem cannot be resolved.
The executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, Iftekharuzzaman, said: “The police have allowed themselves to be used and have taken advantage of it. Every person in this country should have space to write about police corruption.”
The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam said: “We want a people-friendly, democratic, rules-based, honesty-based, police force.
He remarked that police reform is almost a fundamental change that the country needs.
