Home minister urges public, media support to improve law and order

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed today called on the public and the media to support law enforcement agencies in improving the country's law and order situation, saying it would be unrealistic to expect a revolutionary change in crime control overnight.

"There has been no crime where the police could not arrest the offender within a reasonable time after it was committed," he said, adding that the government was working to maintain law and order.

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He made the remarks at a prayer and discussion programme organised by the BNP in front of its central office in the capital's Nayapaltan this morning, marking Eid-e-Miladunnabi.

The home minister said law enforcement agencies had been in a weak state following the 2024 student-people uprising, but their morale had been recovering over the past six months.

Police and other forces were now working at full strength to control crime, he said, adding that members of law enforcement agencies were being given rewards, certificates and medals for good performance.

Salahuddin said people involved in various criminal activities, including the widely discussed killings of four people in Rangpur, had been brought under the law within a reasonable time.

He said action had been taken in crimes ranging from the rape and murder of a child in Mirpur to incidents that received little public attention, with accused sent to court through the legal process.

The government was also working to modernise law enforcement agencies, improve their morale and make them more accountable and transparent, he added.

"I promise that Bangladesh Police will become a people-friendly force that meets public expectations," Salahuddin said.

Speaking at the same programme, BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said anyone who commits a crime must be brought to justice, regardless of their identity or influence.

He urged law enforcement agencies to identify the sources and people behind criminal groups and ensure that those involved in drugs and other crimes cannot escape the law.