The reform of evidence-based investigations in Bangladesh: a rhetoric or reality

ABSTRACT

The reform of police investigative practices was one of six key components of the Police Reform Program (PRP) in Bangladesh. The reforms were intended to shifting police investigations from oral to evidence-based procedures through capacity development. Using a qualitative case study method consisting of in-depth interviews, this paper has examined the extent to which PRP’s reforms have made any difference to police investigative practices. A total of 4 model police stations were selected for the study. In total, 45 participants consisting of 35 police officers and 10 implementing officials, were recruited for in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that a combination of internal and external factors, including organizational culture, lack of political support, police officers’ commitment, and low institutional capacity had limited the successful implementation of the evidence-based investigations. Overall, the degree to which evidence-based investigation was adopted by the police investigators in the model police stations appears to be modest.

KEYWORDS:

• Bangladesh
• capacity development
• evidence-based investigation
• sub – inspector
• organizational culture

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The PRP in Bangladesh had six components that included: i) Strategic direction and organizational Reform, ii) Human resource management and training, iii) Investigation, operations, and prosecution, iv) Crime prevention and community policing, v) Promoting gender-sensitive policing, vi) Information, communications, and technology (PRP, 2005).

2. Under Section 167 of the Criminal Procedures Code, the Magistrate grants remand for extracting information relating to crime from the arrestee(s) for a period of maximum 15 days at the request of the police officer who made the arrest. At that point, the suspect is placed in police custody for interrogation.

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Notes on contributors

Mohammed Bin Kashem

Mohammed Bin Kashem is an Professor of Sociology and the Acting Dean of Curriculum Development and Evaluation Centre at the National University, Bangladesh. He received his B.A. (Honours) and M.A. in Sociology from the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh; M.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Baltimore, Maryland, USA and PhD in Criminology from the University of Queensland, Australia. Before joining National University Kashem was a faculty member in the department of Sociology at the University of Chittagong where he taught more than 15 years. Kashem was a Fulbright Scholar in Residence in the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven Connecticut, USA in the academic year 2011- 2012. His research interests include, prisoner re-entry, community corrections, homicide clearance, comparative policing, and police investigations.