Beginning in the 5th century, policing became a function of the heads of fiefdoms and principalities. Since then the police have been performing all duties impartially, without favour or ill will, and without regard to status, sex, race, religion, or political belief.

The word "Police" means, generally, the arrangements made in all civilized countries to ensure that the inhabitants keep the peace and obey the law. The word also denotes the group of peace officers (or police) employed for this purpose.

In 1829, Sir Richard Mayne wrote: "The primary object of an efficient police is the prevention of crime: the next that of detection and punishment of offenders if crime is committed. To these ends all the efforts of police must be directed. The protection of life and property, the preservation of public tranquillity, and the absence of crime, will alone prove whether those efforts have been successful and whether the objects for which the police were appointed have been attained."

Therefore, in attaining these objects, much depends on the approval and co-operation of the public, and these have always been determined by the degree of esteem and respect in which the police are held.

As a background, I have started my discussion with the evaluation of police and their main responsibility, and the degree of respect for police in the society.

I would like to give some suggestions to the present caretaker government to improve policing practices, as we understand that the police could not perform their duties with honesty and dignity, as well as neutrality, because of political intervention.

In my view, five major issues/areas need to be emphasised. These are as follows:

* Unique entry level appointment;

* Training and promotion;

* Specialization and talent pool;

* Police code of ethics;

* Transparency cell.

Unique entry level of appointment

A policeman will act as an official representative of government who is required and trusted to work within the law, thus, obviously the selection process should be transparent. Unfortunately, previous ways of selection of police personnel failed to build confidence in the public, and the present caretaker government is bound to cancel the appointments. In order to strengthen faith in the selection procedure, and to ensure the credibility of the system, I propose the creation of an "Independent Selection Committee" comprising of seven members from seven different sectors such as police, army, civil servant, academic, justice, professionals (doctors and engineers) and lawyer. I think this kind of committee can ensure that the selection process will be neutral.

Training and education

Training should be provided in various areas, such as organised crime, public corruption, financial crime, fraud against the government, bribery, copyright infringement, civil rights violations, bank robbery, extortion, kidnapping, terrorism, espionage, and drug trafficking etc. In order to achieve high quality training and education in the above areas, police personnel need to study abroad, and the government should create all possible steps for this. For example, the government can establish links with foreign training institutes specialized in the above areas, and can seek help from the diplomatic missions working in our country.

Specialization and talent pool

There should a national pool for talented police personnel in the above-mentioned areas. In order to assign a specific job, the government can easily call the right person. However, the government should provide higher education/training in all the above aspects.

Police code of ethics

Every criminal justice profession and association has "codes" of ethics, "canons" of professional responsibility, "statements" of values, "principles" of conduct, "standards" of practice, and "oaths" of office, along with "pledges," "vows," "maxims," "credos," "prayers," "tenets," and "declarations." The people of Bangladesh expect the police to serve with courage, fairness, impartiality and integrity, and to apply democratic principles that honour human dignity, in the pursuit of justice.

Recently, a workshop held in Dhaka emphasised the need for reforms in the legal framework, including the antiquated 150-year old Police Act, to modernise and streamline Bangladesh Police. In order to do that the Bangladesh government needs now to introduce "Code of Police Ethics" including guidelines for police action, general obligations, guidelines during arrest and detention by police, guidelines during preliminary investigation, human rights and care for citizens. However, before introducing this code, the government should consider the elements of other developed and developing countries' codes of police ethics.

Transparency cell

Transparency is more than an information sharing issue; it is a cultural issue affecting all parts of the police service. A transparent organisation does more than disclose its policies, it addresses and accounts for its thinking, actions and conduct on a day-to-day basis.

Within the service, there must be a dynamic culture of accountability, which supports and underpins the principles of openness and transparency. Therefore, the police must be willing to engage in dialogue with the community/public domain via the media, every month in every district, in relation to policing issues, and provide full and frank information about their performance. I do think that if we open such kind of transparency cell at the district level, confidence in the police and police activities will be built up in the community.

International organizations such as DFID and the World Bank are involved with the the Bangladesh police service, and provide all kinds of support for standardisation of police service and police profession.

I do believe that if the present caretaker government takes necessary steps in the above-mentioned areas, especially code of police ethics and recruitment, that would be a milestone in our history.

Mohammed Hossain is an Associate Professor of Accounting, Islamic University.