While there is notable satisfaction with the 999 emergency helpline, which allows users to receive police assistance by phone akin to developed nations, significant dissatisfaction persists with other digital services like online police clearance and general diary (GD) submissions. Similar concerns have been raised regarding women’s helplines related to cybercrime and e-trafficking prosecutions.
These findings emerged from a public opinion survey titled “Keman Police Chai” (“The Police We Want”), conducted by the Police Reform Commission. Under the leadership of Abu Mumtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Public Security Division and Member-Secretary of the Police Reform Commission, the survey spanned a considerable period and analyzed responses across eight well-known police services. Results, published on the Commission’s website on Tuesday, revealed dissatisfaction with six out of these eight services.
Key Insights
- 999 Emergency Helpline: About 57% of participants expressed satisfaction with the service, though 11% were unaware of its existence.
- Online Police Clearance: 45% of respondents rated this service as unsatisfactory, while over 22% were unfamiliar with it.
- Victim Support Center (999): Dissatisfaction stood at 42%.
- Community and Beat Policing: While satisfaction was slightly higher at 45%, over 30% were unaware of this service.
- Online GD System: Approximately 45% expressed dissatisfaction, and over 17% were unaware of its availability.
- Women, Children, Elderly, and Disabled Desks: Only 31% of those aware of the service were satisfied, with 30% entirely unfamiliar with it.
- Cybercrime Helpline for Women: While women are disproportionately affected by cybercrime, 37% of respondents were unaware of this helpline, and only 28% of those aware were satisfied.
- E-Trafficking Prosecution: Satisfaction was critically low at just 24%, with a significant portion of respondents unaware of the service.
The survey involved participants from all 64 districts of Bangladesh, with the highest representation (20%) from Dhaka. Of the 24,442 respondents, 36% were employees, 27% students, and 7% each were engineers and businesspeople. Notably, women comprised only 5% of the participants.
The survey highlighted widespread public demand for a corruption-free, law-abiding, and politically neutral police force:
- 95% of respondents sought to end the culture of false or fabricated cases.
- 89.5% demanded an end to the use of police for political purposes.
- 77.9% called for curbing corruption arising from abuse of power.
- 74.9% supported harsher penalties for police involved in human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
Participants strongly recommended reforms to ensure accountability and restore public trust, with a focus on stricter laws and enforcement against misconduct within the police force.
This survey underscores the pressing need for structural reforms to modernize and align police services with public expectations, fostering greater trust and transparency in law enforcement.
