Sardah Police Academy Principal Mokhlesur Rahman said 90 percent problems, including those policemen face in discharging their services to the people, will be solved if there is no political interference.

Special Superintendent of Police Ibrahim Fatemi said one political party considers the police partisan to another if the force discharges its services honestly and fairly.

If the honest service of a policeman causes harm to a political government, he is transferred, he said at a programme at the LGED Bhaban in the city where the top police officials shared the draft of a baseline survey report on the people's perception of the police.

The survey reveals that 72-78 percent people bribed the police and 29-41 percent policemen affirmed that they accepted bribes while policemen at courts, immigration services and different police stations and the traffic police are most prone to taking bribes.

The Police Reform Programme (PRP) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) conducted the survey among households, police personnel and other professional groups during May-December 2006.

Additional Deputy Inspector General Mazharul Hoque said until and unless a sense of dignity is created among the police, particularly those in the lower rank, people will not get a better behaviour and positive attitude from the policemen.

"We are the protectors of human rights, but sometimes our own human rights are violated," Deputy Inspector General of Armed Police Battalion Nazibul Islam said, referring to the heavy workload of the police. "Policemen have to work for 14-15 hours a day depriving their families," he said.

The survey was conducted on more than 6,000 people from households, police personnel, lawyers, teachers, doctors, business persons, woman leaders and professionals, elected local representatives, civil society members, youths and media representatives.

The survey report identified lack of sufficient payment and skill of the investigation officers (IOs), bribery, negligence, and corruption of IOs as some of the 12 different types of hindrances to getting fair justice.

The report found that the poor and weak and the females are more prone to police maltreatment.

Over 70 percent of household respondents participating in the survey perceive that the police are overworked while 100 percent of them said the police remain busy controlling political activities like hartals and agitation programmes.

Majority of the respondents at households (72-77%) and the police (72-75%) said external interferences, influence or pressure--both political and social--obstruct the performance of the police.

Around 50-71% police consider hoodlums, fear of transfer and being implicated in cases, political leaders and cadres, pressure groups like doctor, lawyer, trade union as well as the local ones, and trade union leaders as the most frequent sources of these external influences.

The respondents advocated for stopping the use of police for political purposes, the survey report said, adding that this is an issue of critical importance and needs to be handled positively and with due sensitivity.

The PRP undertook the survey to analyse the present situation of Bangladesh Police so that a comparative analysis can be conducted over time to measure the degree of change, assess intended benefits and ensure that the programme is meeting its goals and objectives.

The survey was conducted in areas under 11 model police stations to be established under the PRP in seven districts, two metropolitan units and two randomly selected areas.

Addressing the function, former inspector general of police (IGP) and former caretaker government adviser ASM Shahjahan said, "We are transforming into the democratic policing culture from the colonial culture."

He stressed the need for bringing reforms in the police department.

"The Police Reform Programme intends to enhance the capacity of Bangladesh Police and key stakeholders to contribute in a collaborative manner to the creation of a safer and more secure environment based on respect for human rights, equitable access to justice and rule of law in accordance with a multi-party democracy," UNDP Country Director Manoj Basnyat said at the programme.

Syed Jahangir Haider, managing director of READ, presented the findings of the survey at the programme chaired by Additional IGP Dr Shamsuddoha Khondoker.