Police to recruit 4,000 SI directly; special BCS exam to recruit 400–500 ASP - Prothom Alo English
Logo of Bangladesh PoliceThe government will directly recruit 4,000 sub-inspectors (SIs) into Bangladesh Police. The decision came at a meeting of the Secretaries’ Committee on Administrative Development at the Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.
The government has amended the Police Regulations of Bengal (PRB) to facilitate direct recruitment to the SI posts.
Under the Police Regulations, 50 per cent of SI posts were previously filled through departmental promotions, while the remaining 50 per cent were filled through direct recruitment.
Under the existing rules, half of the 4,000 SI posts were also supposed to be filled through departmental promotions. However, the government will not follow that arrangement this time. For the first time, all 4,000 SIs will be recruited directly.
In addition, the government will recruit 10,000 new constables. The Secretaries’ Committee approved a proposal to recruit a total of 14,000 new personnel into the police force, including SIs and constables.
A senior Home Ministry official told Prothom Alo that the recruitment process for all 14,000 posts would be completed by December this year. However, the decision to recruit SIs directly by amending the regulations could cause resentment among police personnel awaiting promotion to the posts.
According to those concerned, direct recruitment of 4,000 SIs would deprive promotion-seekers of opportunities. If the government continues to recruit directly in the same way, the sense of deprivation could grow, potentially leading to frustration among police personnel performing duties at the field level.
Sources at the Cabinet Division and the Home Ministry said that the previous Awami League government recruited around 120,000 personnel to the posts of constable, SI and police sergeant during its 15-and-a-half years in power. This represented nearly half of the total strength of the police force.
According to officials, much of the recruitment over the past 15 years was politically motivated. The Awami League government of the time used police personnel on various occasions to remain in power.
Senior Home Ministry Secretary Manzur Morshed Chowdhury told Prothom Alo, “Direct recruitment to SI posts will take place to maintain normal law and order amid the changed circumstances. In addition, 10,000 new constables will be recruited. The Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Public Administration have approved the creation of these new posts. We have amended the Police Regulations to facilitate direct recruitment. However, this arrangement will apply only once. The government may also recruit directly in the future if it considers it necessary.”
Home Ministry sources said that after securing a landslide victory in the 13th parliamentary election and taking office, the BNP government found that very few personnel in the police administration shared its own ideological outlook.
Decisions taken to improve law and order were not being implemented properly. Although eight months had passed since the government took office, law and order had not improved as expected.
In addition, significant amounts of information were being leaked both within the country and abroad. The government decided to recruit SIs directly after considering these factors.
Home Ministry sources further said that the Police Headquarters initially sent a proposal to the Home Ministry to amend the Police Regulations. The Home Ministry then forwarded the proposal to the Ministry of Public Administration, which sent the proposal for 14,000 new personnel to the Ministry of Finance for approval.
After the Ministry of Finance approved it, the proposal was placed before the Secretaries’ Committee on Administrative Development on Wednesday.
The Secretaries’ Committee on Administrative Development is a high-level committee comprising the secretaries of 14 ministries. It makes important administrative decisions on behalf of the government.
The Cabinet Secretary chaired Wednesday’s meeting. The committee approves proposals to create new posts across various government departments.
Home Ministry sources said that the government would hold a special Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination to recruit assistant superintendents of police (ASPs). This could be the 52nd BCS examination, through which the government would recruit between 400 and 500 ASPs. Authorities are considering shortening their basic training period to some extent after recruitment.
Home Ministry officials said that the authorities would exercise the utmost caution when recruiting the new police personnel. They would verify candidates against intelligence information before making final appointments.
