There is no denying the fact that at present, in popular perception, police image is at the lowest ebb. The worst manifestation of increasingly untenable and indefensible police behavior is the oft-discussed subject to all and sundry. Bribery, dishonesty, inefficiency, Ill-treatment and Politicization all these surely, subtly and almost irreversibly eats into the underpinnings of the police administration. Not a moment goes by when some one or the other does not single out the idea of a promotion of community feelings through developing close police-people link.

According to the gut feelings of the common people, Police can not bridge the gap between people’s expectation and their own performance. Let there be no confusion that there is much left to be desired in the over all performance of police service.

We happen to think that police administration should be revamped to suit the requirement of the hour. But we are sincerely apprehensive that the absences of good governance and endemic corruption have led to the diversion and misallocation of resources which blatantly stand in the way of ensuring social justice and economic equity. Successive government have talked of police reforms more often than not but in actuality, in most cases, have only increased the force by a few thousands or changed the police monogram and the colour of police dress and blew the trumpet of taking tremendous stride in police reform. But experience shows that those cosmetic face-lifts have not brought about any qualitative change.

In point of fact, the change people seek today is not just change of faces but a qualitative change from sick to healthy work environment, from a corrupt and non functioning police to one which is responsive to the people’s aspiration.

We firmly believe the crux of the reforms should be to evolve a way forward to sweep away the debris of the past maladministration. Let the Augean stable be cleared. It is time we paused to ponder. The threat of politicization has disappeared at least for now at the changed political scenario. The present non political government in power has offered a time-released opportunity to take reformatory steps to revamp Bangladesh police so that we can ensure a happier, healthier, safer and securer Bangladesh which has so long been unthought-of and undreamt-of.

                                               ‘Police internal oversight’ is all for it.