Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjad Ali has said an estimated 90,000 members have been recruited in the police force on political considerations during the last 15 years.
"Recruitment was done in different ways. Enquiry was made about political identities of candidates, their fathers and even their grandfathers. Some 80,000-90,000 out of the existing 0.2-million police members have been recruited on political grounds in the past 15 years."
Mr Sajjad disclosed the figures to the media at a press briefing at DMP headquarters on Monday.
"We can't ask those recruits to go home. But we have started taking action against those errant and were involved in acts that went against professional ethics," he continued.
About a long delay in taking action after filing a general diary (GD), he said police would start enquiry in an hour or two after filing with any police station under DMP's jurisdiction.
Mr Sajjad said this system would start functioning within the next 10-15 days. "Police are being trained to this end."
Earlier, it took 48-72 hours to carry out an investigation after filing a GD.
"I want to reduce the response time for faster service delivery. Police must act after complaints," said the commissioner.
Police will hear complainants and take legal action like filing GDs and cases on the basis of merit of their complaints, he vowed.
"I'm a public servant. I'm not a revenue or tax collector. My duty is to deliver faster services to the public. We want to serve the city-dwellers," he said.
Mr Sajjad said looting and plundering took place as police became inactive after the political changeover.
"People irrespective of their age, even the elderly, acted like a vanguard to ensure safety and security at that time."
The DMP was also in disarray. The immediate-past commissioner and other officials took steps to activate the police members, according to Mr Sajjad.
About traffic mess, he said the main problem in Dhaka was congestion, adding that a huge number of battery-run auto-rickshaws were plying the city.
"If auto-rickshaw movement is not restricted," the commissioner said, "there will be no space for pedestrian movement one day."
Nobody wants to obey traffic law. Again, hawkers have encroached on footpaths. "We've started working to restore discipline in roads."
Mr Sajjad, however, said it was not possible to improve the traffic system in the capital without sincere cooperation from the city's residents.
Replying to a query, he said steps were being taken to prevent snatching and mugging in Dhaka city.
Admitting to the incidents of illegal toll collection, the commissioner called upon all not to give money to illegal toll collectors.
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