New legal framework planned to crack down on extortion: IGP

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Md Ali Hossain Fakir on Saturday said that a new law would be introduced soon to eliminates extortion from the society. The IGP made the remarks while speaking to reporters after a community policing rally at Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) Lines in Boyra on Saturday afternoon.
He said many people were afraid to file complaints or testify against influential extortionists, creating obstacles to tackling the crime. The new law would allow police to take legal action against extortionists without requiring complaints from victims, he added.
He said a legal framework was being prepared with approval from the home and finance ministries to make law enforcement agencies more effective. The IGP also said police were conducting nationwide joint operations to curb juvenile gangs, extortion and drug-related crimes.
Reflecting on the relationship between police and the public, he said police faced criticism both when they used force to maintain law and order and when they refrained from doing so. “If the police use force to maintain law and order, they are called fascists, and if they do not use force, people consider them weak,” he said, adding that a gap has developed between police and the public over the past 17 years.
He said drug abuse had become entrenched in society and police were working to address the problem. 
The IGP added that the proposed legal framework would also establish community policing as a branch of the police.