The Bangladeshi media, during the weekend (28 and 29 June 2008), published the news of a cell phone theft by a police officer that has been found to be true following investigation.
According to the reports, Mr. Mohiuddin Ahmed Faruki, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to the Bangladesh Desk of Interpol at the country’s Police Headquarters, was on the way to Dhaka from Bangkok by a Thai Airlines flight on 27 June 2008. Ms. Piath Sarapok De Costa, a passenger of the same airplane, happened to be sitting beside ASP Faruki. After having landed when the lady, in the presence of Mr. Faruki, was waiting to pick up her baggage from the luggage belt she found her mobile phone missing. Suspecting Mr. Faruki, Sarapok accused him of stealing her phone prompting Mr. Faruki, to introduce himself as a police officer. At one stage of the quarrel Ms. Sarapok slapped Faruki on the face. Security personnel and law-enforcers arrived at the scene after repeated challenges by Ms. Sarapok. Finally, the mobile phone was found in ASP Faruki’s pocket. Ms. Sarapok lodged a General Diary with the Airport police station regarding this incident of stealing. The officers of the Joint Forces reportedly arrested ASP Faruki, but he was later released to senior police officers who assured a departmental proceeding against him.
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr. Noor Mohammad reportedly termed the incident “embarrassing” while the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of the Uttra Zone of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Mr. Khondokar Rafiqul Islam said that they were investigating terming the incident sensitive because the complainant was a foreigner and the accused a senior police official.
In the second day’s follow-up report, Bangladeshi media reported that the ASP was found guilty of stealing the mobile phone from the foreigner. Quoting the Uttara Zone DC of the DMP the Daily Star reports, “We talked to the witnesses at Zia International Airport and found the allegations of the Thai woman against the ASP true in the probe. . . We have sent a note containing the findings to the (Police Headquarters) PHQ through the DMP. I have forwarded the note to the PHQ which made recommendations to the ministry (of Home Affairs) for suspending the ASP and take departmental actions against him”.
This is one of the thousands of similar examples of moral deterioration of the Bangladesh Police from the bottom to top. It is one of the results of the dysfunctional policing system and the frequent practice of impunity of the errant officers.
The incident provokes questions on the basic criteria pertaining to the recruitment, training and promotion of the police officers of Bangladesh after ASP Faruki has reportedly been chosen by the authorities to serve the Interpol in Bangladesh. What procedures do the police authorities follow to select their officers to promote or appoint within the police force?
It is very likely that criminal tendencies are embedded in the very psyche of the police officer or that the recruitment, internal monitoring and training methods lag far behind the minimum standard.
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has observed that the Bangladesh Police prefers to initiate departmental proceeding, which always have allegation of malpractices and as “eye-wash” initiatives before the public, as part of their attitude of giving impunity instead of punishing the person. The authorities do not understand that bad police and a dysfunctional policing system are both useless in the maintenance of law and order and do little to build the people’s trust of the policing system.
The AHRC urges the authorities of Bangladesh to initiate reforms of the whole system of policing including its recruitment, training, internal monitoring and capacity building, promotion and proceedings followed by criminal offences of the officers.
