Police-people trust will make crime control easier: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said that crime control will become easier if trust is built between the police and the people. Urging police members to earn people’s trust and ensure that no innocent person becomes a victim of harassment, he said, “The police administration does not belong to any party; the police administration will be run according to statutory law. It is certainly your responsibility to ensure that no innocent person is subjected to harassment.”

If the police can become a symbol of trust and security for the people, that is the success of the police, the Premier said, adding that the success of the police means the success of the government as well. Tarique Rahman, also the ruling BNP chairman, made the remarks at the police ‘Welfare Parade’ held at the Rajarbagh Police Auditorium on the occasion of Police Week 2026. Noting that the duty of the police is to “suppress the wicked and nurture the virtuous,” he said, “Let the relationship between the police and the people be based on trust and mutual dependence. In any danger or crisis, let people consider the police station their reliable shelter.”

Reminding that the people are the owners of the state, the Prime Minister said, “If the people are the owners, then when these owners go to the police station in times of danger, they should be able to feel, at least to some extent, the ownership of the state through your [police] behavior—ensuring that is part of your responsibility. “You must remember that ordinary people first come to the police station for legal assistance,” he added.

Stating that people do not go to the police station unless they are in trouble, he said that it is therefore very important to create the perception in people’s minds that their troubles will lessen after going to the police station. “You will certainly take legal action in any matter. But if there is a touch of humanity, then because of you (police), the government’s successes will have a positive impact in the minds of the people,” the Premier added. Describing police members as the government’s ambassadors at the field level, Tarique Rahman said that police members can play a very important role in controlling any situation through their skills and immediate strategic decisions.

They are not only members of a law enforcement agency; they are the first gateway to maintaining law and order in the state, ensuring public safety, and delivering justice, he added. Highlighting that the current government is giving the highest priority to improving the law and order situation in the country and ensuring the safety of public lives and property, the Prime Minister said, “The fascist government had made the police force stand against the people for its narrow partisan political interests.

“Now that the dark time has passed, it is time to move forward anew. I believe that gaining the trust of the people and maintaining that trust is currently the biggest challenge before the police,” he added. In the current world, it is difficult to ensure the services expected by the people without a skilled, modern, and humane police force equipped with technological expertise, the Premier said, adding that the present democratic government has started this difficult task. “Therefore, the government will certainly consider your demands positively to the best of its ability,” he said.

“We want to create such an environment in police stations where a person can directly go without any intermediary, lodge a complaint without fear, and at the same time receive redress,” the head of the government said. Stressing that it is difficult to maintain law and order in the country without the cooperation of the people, he said that it is therefore extremely important for the police to gain public trust.

Therefore, the Prime Minister urged the police to continue their efforts to involve the people in police activities through public-oriented initiatives such as community policing and Open House Day. Expressing the government’s firm stance against drugs, terrorism, and corruption, he said child marriage, violence against women and children, theft, robbery, organized crime, juvenile gangs, financial fraud, and various other criminal activities exist in society.

Ordinary people are becoming victims of these crimes every day, Tarique Rahman said, adding that there is also concern among the people regarding drug abuse and online gambling in the country. “Therefore, it is urgent for the police to conduct operations to control drug abuse by targeting drug suppliers and the sources of drugs through strict enforcement of the law,” he added.