Police corruption facilitates drug trade

Corruption in the police department ultimately facilitates the country’s illicit drug trade.

Some police officers themselves made the observation in a quarterly meeting at the police headquarters on Sunday.

One has to pay huge bribes for a post in the police department or to be transferred to a particular police station, one of them said.

 After paying a massive amount, the officer later uses the drug trade to recover the money, the police officer told the meeting.

Senior police officials all over the country attend the meeting every three month to discuss the country’s overall crime situation and preventive measures.

This was the first meeting held after Jabed Patwary took over as the inspector general of police (IGP).

The issue of spread of narcotics featured prominently in the meeting this time, the officers told Prothom Alo.

One of the officers told the meeting that superintendents of police, metropolitan police commissioners and even many deputy inspectors general (DIG) take bribes to recruit new officers and constables.

“Obviously, such a corrupt official will not be able to prevent his subordinate officers from getting involved in the drug trade,” the officer said.

In response to such allegations in a public meeting, the additional inspector general Mokhlesur Rahman said, the accused officials should be ashamed of their acts.

However, media reports published from time to time suggest, the unholy alliance between the police and the drug dealers is nothing new.

Only recently action was taken against 67 officers for their involvement in drug trade. However, the situation remains unchanged.

So far, the government has not taken any significant steps to control drugs, other than carrying out raids by the law enforcement agencies.

Another officer, seeking the IGP’s attention regarding corruption in recruiting officers, said the DIGs take bribes to transfer and recruit sub-inspectors and police constables.

“Many politicians are also involved in this process,” the officer added.

IGP Jabed Patwary warned such officers saying, if any police officer is found guilty of any such offence, he will not be spared.

Iftekharuzzaman, the executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh, said it is all about mindset and moral decline.

“It is just alarming that one police officer is encouraging another to take bribe,” he added.