[ad_1]
Secretary General of the Botswana National Front (BNF), Ketlhalefile Motshegwa, said as a universal tenet of a democratic society, the police must be protected from any perception of being manipulated by private interests. He said the police played a key role in the security of the country and its citizens, adding that the police service was a public institution of the country and must remain so.
He said the Bangladesh National Police was deeply concerned about the announcement of the Adopt a Police Station Initiative. “This initiative is the first step towards taking control of our criminal justice system. As the Bangladesh National Police, we call on civil society and the nation at large to reject this initiative with the contempt it deserves,” Motshegwa said.
He said they rejected the initiative for the following reasons: “This initiative will reduce the police service to the narrow interests of corporations, corrupt elites and politicians. The key question is how will the police objectively investigate cases against corporations that fund the police department?
This move could undermine the integrity, objectivity, professionalism, and independence of the entire police department. As the old saying goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and that applies here as well, especially in our capitalistically driven, predatory economic system. This move would severely undermine the objectivity of the police in investigating cases against the sponsors of the police department (and their accomplices).
There is no guiding policy framework or law to regulate this initiative and this loophole will lead to abuse of power and complete control over the police department.
There is no parliamentary oversight or any monitoring measures to ensure the scheme is not abused and used for nefarious purposes by the police department’s sponsors.
“As a nation, we must be wary of unregulated interactions between police and businesses, particularly where money is exchanged. This initiative poses a serious threat to police independence, the criminal justice system, and constitutional democracy as a whole.”
Lawsuits brought by the poor, working class and vulnerable against corporations and the elite will be severely compromised by police investigations. It is despicable that the police are colluding with corporations and the elite under the guise of charitable donations. We remember the Jackie Selebi scandal, where a South African police chief was charged and convicted for accepting bribes from corrupt businessmen in exchange for police protection. We should not allow this cancer to spread to our police force.
The BNF calls on the Commissioner of Police to immediately withdraw the initiative. We call on the government to adequately fund policing and maintenance of police stations. Our police service must not be turned into a charity and exposed to corrupt and unethical business elements who want to control the police service. This initiative is nothing but an admission that the current Mokgweetsi Masisi-led government has failed to fund the police service to ensure that our people live in a peaceful, crime-free society.
The police chief and the president of the country must be ashamed of themselves.
[ad_2]
Source link
