The Police Reform Commission has made significant progress in implementing the decision to change the police monogram.
A new monogram for the Bangladesh Police has already been determined, which will no longer feature a boat, according to the police sources.
According to a recent memorandum from the Police Department, the new monogram is set to be introduced in police uniforms from next year, subject to approval from the highest levels of the government.
The department is also conducting research into the colour of the new uniform.
Sources from the Police Department said that a notification issued on February 10, 2004, had changed the police monogram, which was further revised in 2009 to the current design.
The decision to change the police monogram was made during a meeting on August 8, chaired by Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain, then adviser to the Ministry of Home Affairs, as part of the 11-point demands of the police force reform movement.
The current monogram depicts wheat and paddy sheaves on both sides of a sailed boat, with a lotus placed on the sail. Below the boat, the word "Police" is written in Bengali.
The revised monogram will feature wheat and paddy sheaves arranged in a garland on both sides of the shapla (water lily), with three jute leaves above it. The word "Police" will still appear in Bengali beneath the sheaves.
The memorandum further stated that no additional funds will be required to amend the police monogram.
The police department has submitted a picture, a sample, and a draft notification of the proposed monogram.
The draft notification now needs to be sent to the Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs for vetting.
Sources said that police members from all areas of the country, including the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, will have similar uniforms. The uniform will have the monograms of the range, district, unit and Metropolitan Police on the sleeves.
As for the colour of the uniform, no decision has been made yet.
However, it has been decided that the fabric for the uniforms will be purchased from the police’s own factory, with a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) assigned the responsibility for this.
The police headquarters plans to establish a garment factory in Gazipur. Police uniforms have undergone changes in colour in 2004, 2016, and 2021, with the most recent change affecting the uniforms of the Armed Police Battalion (APBN).
However, allegations of corruption have been raised regarding the procurement process for uniforms, sources added.
Field-level police officers have raised questions about the quality of uniform fabric, claiming that the uniforms are uncomfortable to wear for long hours and tend to get hot.
Many officers have resorted to purchasing better-quality fabrics at their own expense to make their own uniforms.
“Senior officers, including the Inspector General of Police (IGP), are said to have higher-quality uniforms, while the uniforms of lower-ranking officers such as Sub-Inspectors (SIs), Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs), and constables are of inferior quality, with some differences in colour,” they alleged.
Earlier, on August 11, police members withdrew their agitation after Adviser Brigadier General (Retd.) M Sakhawat Hossain announced the acceptance of their 11-point demand during a meeting.
The meeting also decided to change the police uniform and logo.
On October 3, the government issued a notification for the formation of the Police Reform Commission, headed by former secretary Safar Raj Hossain.
Other members of the commission include Abu Momtaz Saad Uddin Ahmed, former additional secretary of the Public Security Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Mohammad Iqbal, former additional secretary and former director general of the Narcotics Control Department, Mohammad Harun Chowdhury, former divisional commissioner and joint secretary, Sheikh Sajjad Ali, former additional inspector general of police, Golam Rasul, deputy inspector general of police, Shahnaz Huda, professor of law at Dhaka University, human rights activist ASM Nasiruddin Elan, and student representatives.
