8.07 The Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs, in discussing the Police Reform Programme (PRP), stated that the:
103 Bangladesh Military Forces, http://bdmilitary.com/, undated, Accessed 08 July 2013
104 Ibid
105 Ibid
‗Police Reform Programme (PRP) aims at improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the Bangladesh Police by supporting key areas of access to justice; including crime prevention, investigations, police operations and prosecutions; human resource management and training; and future directions, strategic capacity and oversight.
‗The programme complements other initiatives for reform in the broader justice sector and is designed to assist Bangladesh Police to improve performance and
professionalism consistent with broader government objectives. Support to a
functioning, accessible and transparent criminal justice system, institutions and services (including legal aid) means that poor people and other disadvantaged groups have protection, representation and recourse to hold the resource-rich accountable …‘ 106 8.08 The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Network for Improving Policing in South
Asia (NIPSA), Overview, undated, of the Police Reform Programme (PRP) stated that:
‗At present, police reform is dominated by the UNDP-led Police Reform Programme, which started in 2003 in collaboration with the Government of Bangladesh. It is a long- term capacity building project that aims to support the transition of Bangladesh from colonial-era policing to democratic policing. Phase II of the programme has seen continued efforts to enhance the impact and reach of model thanas (police stations), community policing, gender sensitisation and strategic planning, however it continues to be faced with obstacles and stern resistance from the political executive. Its second five-year phase is to end in September 2014.‘ 107
8.09 The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Reform Programme (Phase II), Annual Report 2012, covers the progress and achievements made during 2012 by each PRP component. It stated that:
‗The PRP aims to improve safety, access to justice and human rights for the people of Bangladesh, particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable groups such as women and children who are considered the PRP‘s target beneficiaries. The police service will additionally benefit from increased capacity and job satisfaction, improved morale and better social standing.‘ 108
The same report continued:
‗Following the dissemination of two PRP comparative legal studies' findings, there has been noticeable increase in support for the reform of the Bangladesh Police Act 1861…
a Police Working Group … is reviewing the 2007 draft Police Ordinance, following the draft's return from the Ministry of Home Affairs. A draft Gender and Anti-discrimination Policy for the Bangladesh Police is currently being finalised … Within the Bangladesh Police, the ratio of women police officers increased significantly in the last three years.‘
109
106 Bangladesh Police, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Reform Programme, About us, undated http://www.prp.org.bd/AboutUs.htm Accessed 8 July 2013
107 Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Network for Improving Policing in South Asia (NIPSA), Overview, undated. http://www.nipsa.in/bangladesh Accessed 8 July 2013
108 The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Reform Programme (Phase II), Annual Report 2012, (p8)
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/projects/BGD/PRP%20Annual%20Report%202012%20Final%2 007-03-2012.pdf Accessed 8 July 2013
109 The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Reform Programme (Phase II), Annual Report 2012, (p8)
The main text of this COI Report contains the most up to date publicly available information as at 31 July 2013. 41
8.10 The PRP Annual Report 2012 also stated that:
‗The Rangamati Victim Support Centre (VSC) was established in 2012 under the guidance of the PRP to provide support services for women and child victims, in a similar arrangement to the already established Tejgaon VSC in Dhaka. … Construction of fifteen new Model Thana Service Delivery Centres is approximately 75 percent completed. The PRP handed over six fully constructed Model Thanas to the
Bangladesh Police which serve as blueprints for future Thanas with improved facilities, including women's sleeping quarters, separate toilets for women and separate cells for males, females and juveniles.‘ 110
8.11 In setting out upcoming priorities, the PRP Annual Report 2012 stated that:
‗Priorities for 2013-2014 will include supporting the review process on the draft Police Act; supporting the implementation of the Bangladesh Police Strategic Plan 2012-2014, institutionalising the PRP training programmes and incorporating those programmes into the Bangladesh Police training curricula. In recognition of the possible instability associated with the 2013 election, the PRP will focus on greater awareness of human rights issues and accountability within the Bangladesh Police, and continue
strengthening police responses to disadvantaged and vulnerable groups through the Model Thana initiative and newly established Victim Support Centres. Finally, the PRP will continue its efforts to promote proactive, intelligence-led policing to implement crime prevention programmes and to increase the use of forensic evidence in investigations.‘
111
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Armed forces
8.12 The armed forces total 172,000 members: 140,000 in the army, 15,000 in the navy and 17,000 in the air force. 112
8.13 The army is also a major contributor to UN peacekeeping missions around the world.
The Armed Forces Division (AFD), Bangladesh stated that:
‗[The] Bangladesh Army started its journey in the UN peacekeeping mission in 1988 with 15 observers in UNIMOG (Iraq-Iran). Since then it is maintaining its dominance as a leading troop contributor country in UN peacekeeping. Bangladesh Armed Forces has so far participated in 54 peacekeeping missions in 38 countries. A total of 107,354 members from Bangladesh Armed Forces have participated in the noble task of
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/projects/BGD/PRP%20Annual%20Report%202012%20Final%2 007-03-2012.pdf Accessed 8 July 2013
110 The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Reform Programme (Phase II), Annual Report 2012, (p9)
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/projects/BGD/PRP%20Annual%20Report%202012%20Final%2 007-03-2012.pdf Accessed 8 July 2013
111 The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Reform Programme (Phase II), Annual Report 2012, (p10)
http://www.undp.org/content/dam/undp/documents/projects/BGD/PRP%20Annual%20Report%202012%20Final%2 007-03-2012.pdf Accessed 8 July 2013
112 Jane's Sentinel Security Assessment - South Asia, Armed Forces-Bangladesh, Updated 27 February 2013, (Subscription)
https://janes.ihs.com/CustomPages/Janes/DisplayPage.aspx?DocType=Reference&ItemId=+++1304799&Pubabbr ev=SAS Accessed 8 July 2013
peacekeeping.‘ 113 As of 31 May 2013, Bangladesh was providing a total of 8,836 personnel to United Nations peacekeeping activities. 114
See Bangladesh Army, UN Mission website. 115
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