Feet on the ground, please!

Unfortunately, the name 'police' has turned into a synonym for corruption. But it is also true that there is a good number of policemen, of course in the upper echelon, who are not corruptible. Usually, these are the ones who have been in the police department through competitive examinations (BCS police) conducted by the Public Service Commission. And those currently occupying higher positions through promotions began their career in lower strata. Here, there are a very few who have been elevated in recognition of meritorious services in previous positions. Yet there are a few more who are reported to have been promoted on other spurious considerations which include their continued personalised services to their bosses, hot linkage with influential political leaders, 'natural' privilege accruing from their being residents of particular places where from some of the high-ups also happen to come.

These promoters, invariably wearing newer badges on their shoulders indicating higher ranks, perhaps have little way to shed the filth of corruption, accumulated over the past several years, from their body and mind. The new garb cannot veil their yesterdays. They come out to view with even a least provocation.

Dying in police custody of people has assumed an alarming height of late. Some of these cases are reported to have been on political victimisation while some are on grounds of the victims' refusal to concede the demands of the organized gangsters around their localities. And yet a few more have been snatchers on public thoroughfares, intercepted and often mercilessly beaten, their eyes gauged by a mob. There is however, no guarantee that in such wild gambles some genuinely innocent people fall prey to such dastardly acts.

A big number of them appear to have joined the cavalcade of the street snatchers and extortionists at the bus terminals and on the highways. At its climax a small trader was reportedly robbed of two and a half lakh taka in cash by some police men attached to one police station in the city. One of the main culprits is yet to be arrested. Upon investigation by the higher authorities of the police department the crime committed by the policemen was confirmed. As a measure of punishment the officer-in-charge of the police station was closed and all the 51 personnel of the same station were transferred enbloc to different police stations. And away on the streets reports about acts of extortion from small traders, peddlers in the footpath and drivers of motor vehicles by the police men on duty often come in the newspapers.

Even in the holy month of Ramadan, the scenario remained unchanged. On one hand the ever increasing prices of essential commodities/consumables has been putting tremendous pressure on the low and middle income group and on the other ever deteriorating law and order situation due to the inactivity and indifference of the police has been compounding human miseries.

The Prime Minister herself had expressed her deep concern about price spiral and even went all out to reprimand the Commerce Minister. On the other hand, she was reported to have expressed her dissatisfaction on the law and order situation. In consequence some measures were taken to contain aggravation. But unfortunately the result is yet to be encouraging. The reason, as many would think, can be attributed to the indifference of the implementers of the government order. Added to it, the present vicious flow of corrupt practices to the extent of snatching by the policemen, continue to keep the desirable law and order scenario at bay or at the mercy of the hoodlums. At its dizzy height, even the 'RAT' a newly constituted rapid action team, was recently reported to have faced challenge from corrupt policemen when they were being intercepted at the place of occurrence.

Big bosses in the police department, the State Minister and the Home Minister often exhort the policemen in the field to be friends of the public. To everyone's utter dismay those exhortations seem to have fallen on deaf years. Still then, there are some in the ranks who, despite their willingness to act in line with government directives, are forced to retreat because of vested interests linked to 'formidable' power centers. In fact, and in deed this has been a perpetual malady since independence.

In every government there are invariably some over-enthusiastic elements who are out to pursue an undesirable and outrageous policy of total politicisation of the whole administration. The ultimate decision-makers give in easily to these impulsive activists without considering its far reaching effects. And it has been observed since long that behind such accession there always creeps in a crude idea, at least in the case of police administration that, it can be freely used against the political adversaries.

Even some take the queer advantage of their 'home of origin' seeking extra benefit and patronage of the political leaders coming from the same place(s). There is no reason to believe that such 'blessings from the top' are parts of any free trade. It is rather largely dependent upon the receipt of the 'generous' benefactors from the 'humble' beneficiaries. The chain of command is thus pitiably broken because these 'fortunates' start considering themselves formidable and often indifferent to taking orders from the departmental bosses. On the other hand, those affected due to such trading of good postings, invariably lose heart and even their usual agility to perform their jobs in new places without 'attraction'. In both the cases the law and order segment of the whole issue is at stake. Consequently, the 'image' of the government and the party in power is in jeopardy despite many express and apparently good intention to restore normalcy to law and order.

Some bureaucrats, precisely, some of the secretaries in the ministries are also observed to have been tuned to the same trend. Among them the majority has been on specific contracts having practically nothing to lose if their contracts are prematurely terminated. They too are on loose ends scarcely putting themselves up with the realities obtaining in the areas of implementation of government policies from time to time. They are again the tail-enders of the erstwhile civil service of Pakistan or EPCS. Some among them consider themselves clever enough to play their roles in line with their ill-informed ministers. They too are responsible for damaging the prospect of good governance stressed upon by the Prime Minister and her Cabinet. Members of the press perhaps would have taken the November 17 Press Conference of the Home Secretary on law and order situation as a classic example of complacency.

On the day the Home Secretary had claimed that the law and order situation was improving, 'unbelievably' there were at least four murders in the metropolis, of which one infant girl was killed by slaughtering. A hotel manager was hit by bullet along with four others. A sweet-meat shop on Green Road was robbed of Tk. 70,000/- by the hoodlums, etc. And away in the districts things that day were reported to be no better. Rather, it showed an alarming trend of going down.

Even though these reports are treated as politically motivated, we have an instant corroboration of the ever worsening law and order situation from one of the donor agencies USAID on November 18. Deep concern was expressed by the Deputy Administrator of USAID Mr Frederick Shak during his meeting with the press men in the city. So, it is high time that we no longer befool ourselves. Let us act on realities and mend our fences quickly.

Kazi Alauddin Ahmed is an industrial consultant