Editorial
Dealing with unlawful arrest
The DMP move is praiseworthy
The decision of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) to address the issue of "unlawful arrests," which really amount to police excess of the most objectionable kind, is a commendable one. It is a good disciplinary move that the DMP will henceforth punish police personnel guilty of arresting people in violation of the law.
Obviously, the greatest merit of the DMP decision is that it reflects a realisation, belated though, among the police high-ups that there are glaring flaws in the way the law enforcers are operating today, particularly when it comes to dealing with the members of the public. We believe the DMP has assigned itself a task that has a great bearing on the police-people relation, not considered to be anywhere near what it ideally should be. Unfortunately, police are known for abuse of power -- something that has greatly eroded the public confidence in the law enforcement agency. The DMP has rightly identified the methods that are used by the police to harass and intimidate the citizens. The abuse ranges from issuing threats to arresting people, often for squeezing out pecuniary benefits. This is a situation, which runs counter to the whole concept of the rule of law. Evidently, justice cannot be meted out when the law enforcers themselves indulge in all sorts of illegal activities. One must not also miss the point here that only the influential and affluent people are benefited in a situation where money becomes the sole determinant of what course the law will take.
So, the need for eliminating the possibility of police harassing people cannot be overemphasised. And an internal inspection mechanism should come in handy in this respect.
The DMP has decided to heal an age-old malady and its success will depend on the sincerity and honesty of the police bosses who will be in charge of making sure that policemen do not any longer use threats and coercion against people. It is a positive development that the victims of unlawful arrests will now be permitted to lodge complaints against the policemen responsible for their sufferings. However, it must be seen that the victims do not become exposed to any kind of retaliatory actions by their tormentors. In short, the police have to rise above their traditional mode of thinking and work for our collective welfare in the spirit of establishing the rule of law.
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