A mission with a difference

Maybe police department is the least preferred by the mass when it comes to seeking assistance. General people usually keep themselves at a distant place from the police which are not at all expected. Police are meant to be the companion to the public as they are the force of the people. The ratio of police and people in our country is 1:1100 which is awful and thus expecting a policeman to serve calm and cool with tremendous pressure on his head may not be wise.
Yet we have bright and talented policemen working persistently in different corners of the country for which there is a check and balance in the system. Abu Ahammad Al Mamun is one of them. A chemical engineer from BUET, Mamun joined Bangladesh Police with a vision to serve the people. He served in several districts in various capacities and is currently serving as the Additional SP (South) of Mymensingh (south). An officer with such a clean image is popular for his social awareness programmes. He fights against the social menaces like eve teasing, drug addiction, religious extremism (jongibaad), domestic violence, child marriage, ways to take care of female child, reasons for criminal cases being fabricated under women and child repression act, road safety programmes, different types of fraudulence, ways of using energy properly, environment pollution, different safety tips etc. Mr. Mamun says, "No matter what we do, we have responsibilities towards our society and everyone should return what the society asks from them/us." Mr. Mamun runs these campaigns on the outskirts of the district. He moves from schools to schools, colleges to colleges and madrasas to madrasas to make students, teachers and guardians aware of diverse social threats. In Mymensingh, he visited more than 50 educational institutions to attend workshops on awareness-building through community policing committees. He also did such activities in his previous workstations, namely, Bagerhat, Chittagong, Khagrachari hill district and Feni. Incumbent Inspector General of Police, then DIG, Chittagong, has been a source of inspiration in accomplishing his tasks.
How does he get time after doing duties as a police officer? Mr. Mamun replies with a broad smile, "It all depends on intention. If you are determined to serve the society surrounding you, then you will be able to plan your time." Mr. Mamun prepares PowerPoint slides, handouts and takes projectors to educational institutes to address the audience. The response is incredible. Even the audiences seem to be convinced after attending his sessions. And the good part is, after seeing a policeman convincing and educating, crime incidents of those areas are dropping at a convincing rate. People are in love with this unique approach. Mr. Mamun named his campaign as "Students'/Guardians' Awareness Programme (SGAP)" and has a Facebook page/group as well. He wants to make this programme a social movement to reform the society. He cordially invites all to visit the page/group and to participate in this programme.
When asked, why has he taken such an initiative being a policeman and where will it land? Mr. Mamun says, “Ultimately we are to serve our society and being a policeman it's our utmost obligation. I believe this programme will directly aid students, teachers and guardians and serve as a wakeup call against the social hazards and spread the message of understanding, unanimity and peace. These three components are extremely important for Bangladesh to move ahead. I believe others, irrespective of profession and possession, will come forward and help our society to flourish with goodness.” As he is the entrepreneur of such voluntary work, he is offered as special guest, guest speaker or chief guest in other social campaign or function of educational institutions, NGOs, sports programmes, athletic clubs etc.
We also believe that Mr. Mamun's brilliant idea will not fade away and will continue to inspire others to do something for the society. Such initiatives will also add value and enhance the image of police to general people. He showed that the power of community engagement and motivating others can do more than the power of guns and shells.
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