CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................................... 1
1.1

ORIGIN OF THE REPORT........................................................................................................... 1

1.2

OBJECTIVE OF THE REPORT..................................................................................................... 1

1.3

SOURCES AND METHODS........................................................................................................ 1

1.4

SCOPE & LIMITATIONS............................................................................................................. 1

VOLLMERS STATEMENT ON GOOD POLICEMAN............................................................................... 1

2.1

THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON..................................................................................................... 2

2.2

THE COURAGE OF DAVID......................................................................................................... 2

2.3

THE STRENGTH OF SAMSON.................................................................................................... 2

2.4

THE PATIENCE OF JOB.............................................................................................................. 2

2.5

THE LEADERSHIP OF MOSES.................................................................................................... 2

2.6

THE KINDNESS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN.................................................................................. 2

2.7

THE STRATEGY OF ALEXANDER................................................................................................ 3

2.8

THE FAITH OF DANIEL.............................................................................................................. 3

2.9

THE DIPLOMACY OF LINCOLN................................................................................................... 3

2.10

THE TOLERANCE OF THE CARPENTER OF NAZARETH...............................................................3

2.11

KNOWLEDGE ON NATURAL, BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES.............................................3

RATIONALE ON BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE.................................................................................... 4

3.1

THE WISDOM........................................................................................................................... 4

3.2

THE COURAGE......................................................................................................................... 4

3.3

THE STRENGTH........................................................................................................................ 4

3.4

PATIENCE................................................................................................................................. 4

3.5

LEADERSHIP............................................................................................................................ 5

3.6

KINDNESS................................................................................................................................ 5

3.7

STRATEGY & FAITH................................................................................................................... 5

3.8

DIPLOMACY.............................................................................................................................. 5

3.9

TOLERANCE............................................................................................................................. 5

3.10

KNOWLEDGE ON NATURAL, BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES.............................................6

QUALITIES OF POLICE OFFICER....................................................................................................... 6

EVALUATION OF SHORTCOMINGS: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE.......................................................7

5.1

ASSISTANT SUB-INSPECTOR CLUSTER..................................................................................... 7

5.2

SUB INSPECTORS AND INSPECTORS CLUSTER......................................................................... 8

5.3

ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS OF POLICE CLUSTER...............................................................8

5.4

COMMON PUBLIC ALLEGATION................................................................................................ 8

RECOMMENDATIONS TO OVERCOME SHORTCOMINGS..................................................................... 9

CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................... 9

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

1.1 ORIGIN OF THE REPORT

This report is prepared as a partial requirement of the
course.. under.. . program of
. university.

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE REPORT

The report has the following objectives:

Analyzing the qualities of a good police officer according to Vollmers

statement
Assessing the application of these qualities in case of Bangladesh
Evaluating the police officers of Bangladesh along with their shortcomings
Recommending guidelines for overcoming the shortcomings

1.3 SOURCES AND METHODS

Sources are both primary and secondary. Different books, journals, websites etc are
used as secondary source. Primary source is interview with different level police
officials. The interviews are unstructured. The research is of exploratory type.

1.4 SCOPE & LIMITATIONS

The scope of this report is very limited. The scope is limited to certain ranks of
Bangladesh police. The exploratory report is very much relied on secondary sources
and subjective observations of individuals. The public perception was taken via
secondary sources. No primary survey was taken due to time constraints. The
inclusion of survey would deliver more accurate and objective findings.

VOLLMERS STATEMENT ON GOOD POLICEMAN

August "Gus" Vollmer was a leading figure in the development of the field of
criminal justice in the United States in the early 20th century. He was also the first
police chief of Berkeley, California. He once said, "The citizen expects police officers
to have the wisdom of Solomon, the courage of David, the strength 'of Samson, the
patience of Job, the leadership of Moses, the kindness of the Good Samaritan, the
strategical training of Alexander, the faith of Daniel, the diplomacy of Lincoln, the
tolerance of the Carpenter of Nazareth, and, finally, an intimate knowledge of every
branch of the natural, biological, and social sciences. If he had all these, he might
be a good policeman!"

CONCLUSION

The statement clearly depicts the qualities of a good policeman. Before going
further an analysis of these above mentioned virtues is required.

2.1 THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON

Solomon is entitled as the wisest king of the history. His legendary wisdom is
depicted in the book of the Wisdom of Solomon. The Hebrew Bible credits him as
the builder of the First Temple in Jerusalem. It portrays him as great in wisdom,
wealth, and power. Many legends and stories are on the basis on the great wisdom
that Solomon possessed.

2.2 THE COURAGE OF DAVID

David showed his immense courage while fighting goliath. The giant Goliath issues
daily challenges to single combat at the war. Goliath was challenging individuals to
fight with him and remained victor. David fought that giant and succeeded. To fight
with such a giant at that particular period to time required extreme courage.

2.3 THE STRENGTH OF SAMSON

According to the biblical account, Samson was given supernatural strength by God
in order to combat his enemies and perform heroic feats such as killing a lion,
slaying an entire army with only the jawbone of an ass, and destroying a pagan
temple.

2.4 THE PATIENCE OF JOB

From the Bible Book of Job where Job demonstrated faith and patience with God
while suffering many severe trials.

2.5 THE LEADERSHIP OF MOSES

Moses was taken from his life as a shepherd and chosen to lead his people, despite
his being slow of speech and slow of tongue.

2.6 THE KINDNESS OF A GOOD SAMARITAN

A Jewish man was taking a trip alone and was attacked by robbers. They beat him,
robbed him of everything he had, and left him nearly dead beside the road. A Jewish
priest and Levite came by and did nothing to aid him. Finally, a Samaritan man
came by. The Jews and the Samaritans definitely did not think of each other as
"neighbors." In fact, they hated each other. This Samaritan man took pity on the

CONCLUSION

injured Jewish man. He bandaged his wounds. He put him on his own donkey and
took him to an inn where he could be safe and recover. Since the injured man had
been robbed of everything he had, the Samaritan man even paid his bill at the inn
and paid the innkeeper to take good care of him!

2.7 THE STRATEGY OF ALEXANDER

Alexander III of Macedon was a King of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedon. Born
in Pella in 356 BC, Alexander succeeded his father, Philip II, to the throne at the age
of twenty. He spent most of his ruling years on an unprecedented military campaign
through Asia and northeast Africa, and by the age of thirty he had created one of
the largest empires of the ancient world, stretching from Greece to Egypt into
northwest India and modern-day Pakistan. He was undefeated in battle and is
widely considered one of history's most successful military commanders.

2.8 THE FAITH OF DANIEL

Daniel is a role model, an example to us of the power of one person to make a
difference. His story speaks to us across the ages and reminds us of what God is
able to do through the life of one yielded, faithful servant. From here comes the
faith of Daniel.

2.9 THE DIPLOMACY OF LINCOLN

Lincoln played one of the greatest diplomatic games while abolishing the slavery on
the verge of and during the civil war.

2.10 THE TOLERANCE OF THE CARPENTER OF NAZARETH

According to Christian tradition, Joseph was not the biological father, however, his
role in the birth of Christ and the upbringing of the Son of God cannot be
underestimated. Joseph is introduced to us in the Bible as a carpenter living in
Nazareth in Galilee early in the 1st century. In Greek, the name "Joseph" can be
translated to mean carpenter. The Gospels first mention that he was betrothed to
Mary, which under Jewish law made her his wife. The books describe the tolerance
of Joseph before, during and after the birth of Jesus.

2.11 KNOWLEDGE ON NATURAL, BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

The relevance of natural, biological and social science come forth in policing as
policing activity occurs in a society. The nature plays its own role in society and
biological knowledge is needed while investigating crime against body.

CONCLUSION

RATIONALE ON BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

3.1 THE WISDOM

The statement implies a police officer needs to have such wisdom to be a good
policeman. Policing is definitely a tough job especially in a highly dense country.
Actually the limitless diversified situation and problem in day to day activity requires
very high level wisdom to cope up for a police officer. Besides he is sort of decision
maker in many aspects. It is the wisdom that may help to do this task properly. He
needs to find out what happened actually in a situation and work according to the
legal procedure. So wisdom becomes an integral part of being a good police officer
in Bangladesh as we as in any country.
For example a dead boy is found in the rooftop of the house where he lived with his
relatives at night. The body was heavily beaten and sign of severe injury found. On
that evening he was accused of stealing a mobile. The owner of the mobile accused
him for stealing and held him that afternoon. He also beat him lightly. Now the
police must have the wisdom to determine whether the evening beating caused the
death or other beating on that rooftop or any other reason.

3.2 THE COURAGE

Courage is the very first thing that any good police officer needs working in
countries like Bangladesh. Courage is needed in crowd control or public order
management or handling an accident situation. Police deals with arms and arms
carrying criminals. So courage is one of the top most companions to keep beside
while policing.

3.3 THE STRENGTH

Outside of professional sports, there are few careers that are as physically
challenging and dangerous as law enforcement. Law enforcement officers (police
officers) must physically and mentally fit at all times in order to effectively carryout
their duties. Not only is law enforcement physically demanding but it is also
emotionally demanding. In order for a law enforcement officer to be successful he or
she must be mentally fit as well as physically fit.

3.4 PATIENCE
"I was surprised to find that a good number of people you encounter are very hostile
and non compliant, that you really need to be patient in order to deal with these
individuals. The statement is from a police officer sharing his experience. Police
need to work in tough situations. In this regard there is no alternative of being
tolerant.

CONCLUSION

3.5 LEADERSHIP
Leadership is a quality that is very much required from a police officer. Policing is
not a one man show. It is a collective work. Solely a police officer cant have
significant achievement. He needs to work as a team. So leadership is crucial. Police
officer often works with people. A very good support from people is required to
accomplish policing job. Here leadership skill plays a vital role. Besides in a crowded
country like Bangladesh a police officer must lead his force to make things done
with limited resources.

3.6 KINDNESS
Good law enforcement officers are not only strong and manly but they are also
meek and mild. A good law enforcement professional should be driven by a strong
and sincere motivation to help better other peoples' lives and situations, protect
those who cannot protect themselves, and make a positive difference in the world
be it large or small. Good law enforcement officers and professionals feel a sense of
duty and commitment to community service. Good law enforcement officers
demonstrate their commitment by continually assisting those in the community
notwithstanding the inherent risk and dangers of the job.

3.7 STRATEGY & FAITH

For about 1000 people in Bangladesh there is only one police. So the scarcity of
manpower is easily understood. The logistics and other supports are same. So a
police officer must have his own strategy to do his jobs. If his strategy is not good
enough, his failure is inevitable. The life of a police officer in Bangladesh is not
smooth. He faces different difficulties from many sources. Sometimes the right thing
is very tough to do. So frustration may arise due to failure. A good police officer
must have faith on him during these tough times.

3.8 DIPLOMACY
To work in Bangladesh as a police officer is quite a tough job. Limited manpower and
resource is a big obstacle. Besides political and other interference are common
phenomena. To cope up in such a situation a police officer has no other choice than
being diplomatic. Sometimes there are tasks to be accomplished against the will
and support of the community. Diplomacy is what a police officer must apply in
these situations.

CONCLUSION

3.9 TOLERANCE
Law enforcement officers often find themselves dealing with those elements of
society that refuse to obey the law. Consequently, they must face difficult people
and potentially dangerous situations on a regular occasion. These situations may
include confronting an angry husband while responding to a domestic violence call,
dealing with the perpetrator of road rage, or in more serious cases participating in
the apprehension of dangerous felons. Even in these difficult situations a good law
enforcement professional will always maintain his or her composure and manage
the situation with the least amount of physical force necessary while complying with
all relevant procedures and laws.

3.10 KNOWLEDGE ON NATURAL, BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

Knowledge on natural, biological and social science are very crucial for a police
officer. For understanding different natural course of action and consequences in
mans life its required to have a good understanding on natural sciences. A lot of
medical issues arise while dealing with situations and cases. Injury, hurt, different
biological evidence collection and preservation are very common in police job. So
knowledge on biological field is a mandatory need here. The crime and criminals are
said to be the byproducts of society. Social science knowledge would help him
implementing prevention of crime and understanding the crime background.

QUALITIES OF POLICE OFFICER

The theories, experience and academic discussions reveal that quality of a good
police officer may vary time to time. The required quality of good police officer of
1930s doesnt match with that of current time. But the core factors are more or less
same. At present the following attributes are considered as required quality of a
good police officer.
1. Effective Communication Skills The ability to communicate in a clear,
concise, and confident manner. Points are persuasive, clearly understood,
well organized, supported, and speak directly to the topic at hand.
2. Community Oriented The recognition and understanding of community
issues and concerns. Having an insight into the role of a police officer within a
community beyond law enforcement. Understanding of the importance of a
police-community partnership in identifying problems and developing
solutions.
3. Interpersonal Skills The ability to listen to, understand, and respond
effectively to others in order to gain information, compliance, or resolution.
Perceptive and adept at understanding others motivations and needs, and
including in solutions.

CONCLUSION

4. Respect for the Individual Demonstrates an understanding of, and an ability

to interact and work effectively with persons of varying backgrounds,
attitudes, opinions, and beliefs. Sees people as unique individuals, and values
their different experiences, ideas, and perspectives when solving problems.
5. Sound Judgment / Reasoning Ability / Problem Solving Demonstrates a
logical course of action based on sound reasoning. Prioritizes decisions by the
importance of needed actions. Considers alternatives and consequences
logically.
6. Honesty and Integrity Demonstrates adherence to high moral and ethical
principles. Understanding of the importance of consistency of action and
principled behavior. Possessing high ethical expectation of self and others.
Willingness to assert oneself in the face of peer pressure or potential ridicule
to act with honor and truthfulness. Incorruptible.
7. Teamwork Demonstrates the ability to successfully perform work in a team
environment. Understanding of the multiple roles of team members and the
importance of combined efforts.
8. Perseverance Resolute and steady persistence in a course of action or
purpose, especially in spite of adversity or significant difficulties.
Demonstrates self-motivation and the ability to stay focused on a task
despite short-comings or limited resources.

EVALUATION OF SHORTCOMINGS: BANGLADESH PERSPECTIVE

Before evaluation it is needed to define the officers of Bangladesh police. In general,

the level of officer starts from Assistant Sub-Inspector or ASI. The Sub-Inspector or
SI is a second class officer while the Inspector is non-gazetted first class officer. The
Assistant Superintendent of Police or ASP is gazetted first class officer comes
through BCS. If we start from ASI, there would be one kind of evaluation because
they start their job as constable. Their qualification will vary significantly from ASPs
and Inspectors. So a common evaluation will never depict the real picture. Rather
the evaluation would be categorized into three tiers:

ASI
SI and Inspectors
ASP

The evaluation consists these three clusters as they work in the field and deals with
people in general. The officers above the ASP are not covered.

CONCLUSION

5.1 ASSISTANT SUB-INSPECTOR CLUSTER

They are basically recruited as constable of police. After serving a number of years
they got promoted to ASI.

Most of them have completed education up to higher secondary level. So

their academic knowledge on biological and social science is not up to the
mark. Although their experience tries to fill up the gap, the gap never fills up.
The reasoning and problem solving capacity of this cluster is mixed. Some
show very good competence and others are utter failure.
Their communication and interpersonal skill are good as they have been
working in the field for a very long time.
Their experience makes them very much community oriented.
The honesty and integrity along with respect to individuals are not beyond
doubt. Some of this cluster is accused for bad behavior to the people.
The teamwork and perseverance of this cluster is rather poor. They need
strong supervision.
Generally this cluster is very much hard working.

5.2 SUB INSPECTORS AND INSPECTORS CLUSTER

Sub-Inspectors are of two types: some got promoted from ASI and some are
recruited directly. After serving several years SI gets promoted to Inspector.

The promoted SI cluster shows almost same characteristics as ASI shows.

The direct recruited SIs have good academic background. Besides they get
one year academic and field training. So the knowledge over natural,
biological and social aspects could be said as up to the mark.
Both the communication and interpersonal skill of SI and Inspector are good
enough for Bangladesh perspective.
The reasoning/problem solving and perseverance is good in general.
This cluster has very good community orientation as they work directly in the
field.
Honesty, integrity and respectful to individual issues are being questioned
due to several incidents. However, it doesnt imply that the whole cluster is
associated. Its rather the specific individuals.
Teamwork is still a weak point and requires supervision.

5.3 ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENTS OF POLICE CLUSTER

This cluster is recruited by BCS exam with a little portion of departmental promote.
This cluster shows the following attributes:

The knowledge base of this cluster is strong, at least academically.

Communication and interpersonal skills are as par.

CONCLUSION

Team work and perseverance is fine.

Problem solving capacity is fine also.
Respectful to individual issue is up to the mark.
Community orientation is not up to the mark for the very new recruits.

5.4 COMMON PUBLIC ALLEGATION

Some common allegation includes:

Bad behavior with people

Harassment
Dishonesty & criminal activity
Lingering submitting reports
Technologically lagged behind

RECOMMENDATIONS TO OVERCOME SHORTCOMINGS

The shortcoming issues do not arise in one day. Neither these are only related with
personal characteristics. The profession itself, the life of the police officer, other
logistics support, the benefits of the job and other societal issues contribute to the
whole scenario. The followings could be a way out:

The whole knowledge issue is a matter of training. Rigorous training is

required for having a good knowledge over legal, social, biological and other
required fields.
Police are actually working hard.
From night patrol to any place of
occurrence, from investigation to public order management, from capturing
criminals to protection duty police is working everywhere. With limited
manpower and insufficient logistics it is really hard to do all these things well
simultaneously. So manpower and logistics strengthening issue is a key.
Scarcity of manpower leads police to do extra duty which is also impacting
the mind. The enough manpower would also solve the lingering issue while
submitting reports.
For the behavior or respect to people issue, there is no alternative to
counseling.
The life of police officer should be normal as other public servants. The
current overload, long working hour, lack of leave is creating damage
mentally. So healthy working life, regular working hour and ample leave is to
be ensured. The job consist risks too. So adequate incentive is extremely
desired.
The dishonesty and criminal activity such as taking bribe, engaging in drugs
business etc. are reported against some members of the police. Actually
these members are destroying the image and good working of the entire

CONCLUSION

force. Strict action must be implemented against such members whoever he

is.
Last but not the least, police works in such a society where the political
interference is very common. Sometimes these interferences do not let police
to do what he wants to. This is a great challenge. The community and society
has a big part to play in this aspect for overcoming.

CONCLUSION

The developed countries are good example of proper policing, many of us states.
Definitely their policing are more standard than that of Bangladesh. But it also
should be in consideration that what sort of facility and support their police get and
what the police in our country get. Such facility and support would definitely
improve the quality of police officer in Bangladesh and their service. Furthermore,
the police officers come from the society. Their action and attitude is also a
representation of the society. So the contribution of societal issues could not be
undermined.

REFERENCES
1. Book of Solomon
2. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
3. https://leb.fbi.gov/2014/december/perspective-characteristics-of-an-ideal-police-officer
4.
http://www.bd.undp.org/content/dam/bangladesh/docs/Projects/PRP/PRP_Project_Document_Phase_II.pd
f

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