LAW and order continues to remain worrisome as the government could not improve on the situation after it had declined after the overthrow of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024 and the installation of the interim government three days later. A growing number of violent crimes such as robbery, political violence, murder, mob violence and extortion have already pushed people into a fearful situation, with law enforcement units, said to have still been in trauma post the July-August uprising when 843 people are so far notified to have been killed, yet to straighten up and fly right and the government apparently not lifting a finger high enough to attend to the issues. An increase in the number of robberies resulted in 1,412 cases in 2024 against 1,227 in 2023, official police statistics show. In August鈥揇ecember 2024, 1,565 cases were filed in connection with murders against 1,199 cases filed in the corresponding 2023 period. An increase in number of kidnapping resulted in 642 incidents in 2024, with 326 having happened in August鈥揇ecember 2024, against 463 in 2023. The police say that 450 out of 664 police stations were attacked, vandalised and burnt after the overthrow of the Awami League government; and, about 1,000 vehicles were damaged.
Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra reports 128 people to have died by mob beating in 2024, with 57 of them having taken place only in Dhaka, against 51 such death in 2023. The group reports at least 100 to have been killed and 6,190 to have been wounded in political violence in 2024 against 45 death and 6,978 injuries in 2023. Whilst a former inspector general of police, who seeks not to call the situation alarming as yet, says the actual number of violent crimes would, rather, be higher and he puts the apparent lack of capacity of the law enforcers down to a massive reshuffle in the forces in the changed political context. Former police officials also blamed a deeply eroded confidence of law enforcers and a delay in taking policy measures to re-organise the units for such a poor keeping of law and order, noting that the police are now working not even to a quarter of their capacity. An assistant inspector general of police says that they have taken action in most cases with stepped up patrol and reinforced deployment but admits that crimes of certain types are increasing. Another former inspector general of police says that a proper keeping of law and order would take time.
It seems that there are issues for the government to attend to for an improvement in law and order. This remains a pressing task for the government as whether it is the incapacity of the law enforcement units or the failure of the government, it is the people who suffer. The government is now left with a single task in keeping law and order 鈥� a proper law enforcement.