Bangladesh: U.S. Delegation Discusses Police Reform and Support with Bangladesh Police Reform Committee

On November 13, ICITAP, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Global Criminal Justice (GCJ), met with the Bangladesh Police Reform Committee (BPRC) to discuss current challenges and future plans for police reform in Bangladesh. The BPRC, led by Chief Safar Raj Hossain, outlined several areas for improvement, including revising laws and policies, addressing the "angry mob" issue, eliminating arbitrary false charges, and promoting a career prosecution service. The committee emphasized the need to remove police from political influence, reduce corruption, and improve logistics, manpower, and equipment. Additionally, they outlined short- and long-term goals to foster better police-citizen relations, transition from confession-based to scientifically based investigations, enhance human rights enforcement, and improve communication and cooperation across the police, prison, and judicial sectors. The U.S. delegation highlighted its ongoing efforts to assist Bangladesh’s law enforcement reform through targeted support, focusing on strengthening police capabilities and judicial processes. The Deputy Ambassador-at-Large for GCJ briefed the committee on U.S. work related to war crimes, human rights violations, and the recent crisis facing the country. The GCJ also provided the committee with reports detailing areas where U.S. assistance could be focused. ICITAP’s Law Enforcement Assistance Attaché (LEAA) reviewed two decades of police and prison support, offering detailed insights into opportunities for future assistance. This included a draft revision of the Bangladesh Police Ordinance (BPO), developed in partnership with senior police officials. The BPRC expressed appreciation for these contributions, particularly the draft BPO, which they planned to incorporate into their final report. At the conclusion of the meeting, the BPRC Chief thanked ICITAP and GCJ for their continued support and expressed a desire to build on this partnership to strengthen Bangladesh's police, prison, and judicial systems. The committee also requested ICITAP’s expertise in developing Basic Principles of Policing and guidance on preventing lower-ranking officers from following unlawful orders. ICITAP’s LEAA subsequently forwarded the BPO draft and a copy of the internationally recognized Basic Principles of Policing to the BPRC Chief for further review and potential inclusion in the committee's final recommendations.