2009: CHRI-IGS consultation on police reforms, 11 July

CHRI conducted a highly successful consultation on police reforms in Dhaka, Bangladesh on July 11, 2009. This consultation was held in conjunction with the Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University and addressed the need for reforms together with what the various components of reform should be.  At the same time as the consultation, CHRI conducted meetings with people and groups working on police reform in Bangladesh.  These meetings were very fruitful as they forged stronger relationships with civil society for taking the issue of better policing forward.

2010: CHRI-BLAST-NU consultation on police reforms, 28-29 August

A two-day training workshop was held in Dhaka from 28-29 August in order to build upon our first consultation. The theme was once again police reform with focus on the Draft Police Ordinance 2007 which sought to replace the 1861 Act. The consultation addressed the main issues included in the Ordinance linking it with how these will address current gaps in policing. It was held in conjunction with the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Service Trust (BLAST) along with BLAST and Nagorik Uddyog followed by the launch of the 101 Questions in Bangla on 30 August. The objective of the workshop is to build capacity and enhance understanding of policing issues among the civil society organisations.

2011: CHRI-BLAST-NU workshops on police reforms

In 2011, CHRI held a series of workshops across Bangladesh in order to promote and popularise police reform debates beyond Dhaka. The first such workshop was held in Barisal district from 22-23 April 2011 and the second one in Khulna district from 28-29 July 2011. These were organised in collaboration with our local partners namely the Bangladesh Legal Aid Services Trust (BLAST) and Nagorik Uddyog. The workshops introduced the laws and procedures governing policing, highlighting areas of concern and gaps and pointing to relevant recommendations. Ongoing reform initiatives such as the Police Ordinance 2007 were also discussed at length in order to generate discussion on the expectations of people and how best to adapt international standards on policing in Bangladesh.