Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has sought cooperation from France to reform the police and enhance the capacity of various law enforcement agencies to restore their image and effectiveness.
He made the request during a courtesy call by the French Ambassador to Bangladesh, Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet, at his office in the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday.
During the meeting, the two sides held detailed discussions on a wide range of mutual interests, including law and order, security issues, mob control, counter-terrorism, police reform, and the restructuring of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
They also discussed cooperation in the forensic sector, a mutual legal assistance treaty, and the identification of new areas for collaboration.
Salahuddin stated that the government’s highest priority is improving the country’s law and order situation, for which short, medium, and long-term plans are being implemented.
He emphasised that the government is working seriously on police reform to build a “people-friendly” force, though he noted that such development is a gradual process and cannot be achieved overnight.
Regarding mob violence, the minister remarked that while the previous interim government had been unable to manage mobs effectively due to its weaknesses, the current elected government has seen almost no such incidents, barring a few isolated cases, and does not tolerate any form of disorder.
He clarified that political parties are permitted to hold rallies and express democratic views systematically, provided they do not cause public suffering.
Addressing the future of RAB, Salahuddin said the necessity of an elite force within any state structure. He explained that the force would be maintained effectively through a legal review, a change in its name, and the continued utilisation of its existing manpower and logistics.
Ambassador Séré-Charlet expressed France’s desire to elevate bilateral relations to new heights and noted that France has already initiated steps to support the capacity building of the CID forensic lab.
The home minister also requested French technical assistance for the “Anti-Riot Troop”. To this end, he directed the police’s Anti-Terrorism Unit (ATU) and the DMP’s Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit to hold meetings with the French Embassy to take effective measures.
Salahuddin told the ambassador that the ministry has issued letters of approval for the Embassy to meet with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Directors General of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, and Ansar.
Rebeka Khan, joint secretary (Political-1) of the Home Affairs Ministry; Christel Fontaine, deputy homeland security attaché of the French Embassy; and Christian Bec, political counsellor also attended the meeting.
