Home Minister says legitimate demands of police will be met

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said the government will fulfil the legitimate demands of police personnel, considering the country’s financial capacity and overall affordability, with the goal of transforming the force into a modern and people-oriented institution.

He made the remarks as a special guest at the “Prime Minister’s Special Welfare Meeting” held at the Rajarbagh Police Auditorium in the capital on Sunday as part of Police Week 2026.

The event was attended by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman as the chief guest. Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs Manzur Morshed Chowdhury also addressed the programme as a special guest. Inspector General of Police Md Ali Hossain Fakir delivered the welcome speech, while Additional IGP (Crime and Operations) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam, BPM, gave the vote of thanks.

The home minister said many constables retire after serving for 40 years without receiving a promotion. To address the issue, he said the government plans to introduce honorary promotions for retiring police personnel with satisfactory service records — from constable to honorary Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), ASI to honorary Sub-Inspector (SI), and SI to honorary Inspector.

He also said the government is considering introducing overtime allowances for police personnel working extended hours under a structured policy to improve morale and service quality. According to the proposal, overtime benefits may be extended to personnel from the rank of inspector down to constable.

Referring to the long working hours and workload of police members, Salahuddin Ahmed said the government plans to modernise and upgrade central and divisional police hospitals to improve physical and mental healthcare services. He added that new and advanced hospitals may also be constructed if necessary following proper assessment.

The minister said the government remains committed to resolving infrastructure and housing shortages in different police units, with land acquisition and funding being treated as priorities. He also noted that the country’s law and order situation has improved visibly over the past two months, while special drives against terrorists, extortionists and drug traffickers are continuing.

Highlighting the changing nature of crime in the digital era, he stressed the need for modern training and skill development to help police effectively combat emerging crimes.

He further said a committee has already been formed to draft updated laws to tackle gambling, online gambling, cybercrime and money laundering, and that new legislation will be enacted based on the committee’s recommendations.

The home minister also said laws would be revised and updated to address “mob culture” comprehensively, and urged police personnel to perform their duties in line with public expectations and aspirations.