জার্নাল ডেস্ক
At a press conference last Saturday, DMP Commissioner Sheikh Md. Sajjat Ali announced the appointment of an 'auxiliary force' under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance-1976. He said that this force will have arrest powers like the police.
Although there is a tradition of appointing such auxiliary police officers in various cities or urban police forces around the world, there is no precedent in the country for directly appointing someone from a private sector to the police force. As a result, there is a lot of discussion and criticism about this. What is the function of this force? There is also a lot of discussion about it.
Although the appointment of this auxiliary force is mentioned in Chapter II of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Ordinance-1976. Section 10, sub-section 1 states, ‘Whenever it appears that the force needs assistance, the Police Commissioner may appoint any person as an auxiliary police officer to assist the force.’ Sub-section 2 states that every Assistant Police Officer shall be appointed and shall receive a certificate in the prescribed form. Sub-section (b) of 2 states that an Assistant Police Officer shall have the same powers and immunity as any other police officer. They will also be responsible for performing the same duties and will be liable to the same penalties. They will be subject to the same authorities as any other police officer.
Although this section does not clearly state whether members of the Auxiliary Force will have arrest or investigative powers,
Although policing and criminology experts do not oppose such appointments in the current circumstances, they have raised objections to the issue of arrest powers. He also suggested setting policies on who will be appointed as this auxiliary force and what their duties will be. He also warned that if there is political influence in this appointment, the objective will not be successful.
Former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammad Nurul Huda told Kalbela that the power to appoint this auxiliary force has been given to the Police Commissioner. The IGP can also appoint such a force. However, the selection of individuals for appointment must be free from political influence. There are examples of countries around the world where such forces have been successfully deployed. After the deployment of verified individuals, their activities should be closely monitored to ensure that they do not abuse their power.
He said, "There is political division throughout the country. This appointment should not be influenced by political influence in any way. If this is not done, the main objective will not be successful."
Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson DC Muhammad Talebur Rahman told Kalbela that along with trained security personnel from private organizations, qualified locals will also be appointed to this force. However, the DMP Commissioner has full authority over this appointment.
He said that this force will be deployed in 48 out of 50 police stations in Dhaka, and an average of 10 people will work in each police station. Only the Cantonment and Adabor police stations will not have this force for the time being.
He said, initially, there will be no term for this appointment. The employer will determine it. However, they will not be given any salary or allowance. Only certificates will be given. The appointed members will assist the law enforcement forces on a voluntary basis.
Adabor police station falls under the Tejgaon division of DMP. Tejgaon division deputy commissioner Md. Ibne Mizan clarified that the police station did not initially appoint an 'auxiliary force'.
He told , "This time, the market area is being given importance. The Adabar police station is quite small compared to other police stations and there is no big market or shopping mall in this area. That is why auxiliary forces are not being provided to this police station. As it is a small area, only police members can cover it."
Dr. Muhammad Umar Farooq, professor of the Department of Criminology and Police Science at Maulana Bhashani University of Science and Technology, told Kalbela that it is customary for police in various cities or towns around the world to hire police auxiliary members from private security organizations.
In that case, there is a record of getting positive results. However, the principles and criteria for the activities of this auxiliary force should be fixed first. Otherwise, if there is no control, management and supervision after the appointment, nothing good will happen.
He said, "The Auxiliary Force must appoint people who are competent, honest, and have basic training, free from all kinds of influence. If a person previously associated with crime or criminals gets appointed, it will bring a bad name to the police."
However, in a press conference on Saturday, DMP Commissioner Sheikh Sajjat Ali said that since shopping centers will remain open until night and we have a shortage of police, he is appointing auxiliary forces under the power of the DMP Ordinance.
He said that the members of the auxiliary police force who are going to be recruited will have a band on their hands, which will help in confirming their identity. According to the law, the members of the auxiliary force will perform the same duties as a police member.
They will have the power to arrest and members of the force will receive the same legal protections that the police receive.
