Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed on Thursday said bringing law and order under control to reassure the public and establish peace is the government’s top priority. He told new police officers at a passing-out parade that they must earn public trust by serving people and providing legal services and protection without fear or bias.

Speaking at the Bangladesh Police Academy in Sardah, Rajshahi, at the parade for the 27th batch of apprentice sergeants and the 43rd batch of cadet sub-inspectors, Ahmed called on them to establish themselves as a genuinely people’s police by standing beside citizens and serving them. He highlighted government initiatives to modernise the force and extend policing to the grassroots.

He said crime was changing rapidly. Alongside conventional crime, cybercrime, online fraud, financial fraud, drug-related crime, human trafficking and organised crime were creating new challenges for the police.

Conventional experience alone was not enough; officers needed to use modern technology as required, analyse information, conduct scientific investigations, keep their knowledge of crime patterns current and cooperate across institutions, he said.

Ahmed told the recruits: “My instruction is that you apply legal authority through professionalism, skill and humane policing, not through misconduct, bias or physical force.”

The minister said he expected them to fully respect the Constitution, existing laws and regulations, take legal action against criminals, protect the rights of innocent people and maintain neutrality at every stage of investigation and law enforcement.

“Remember, our goal is not only to act after a crime has been committed but to create an environment where the risk of crime falls and people can live safely and normally,” he said.