The Police Reform Commission, formed by Bangladesh’s interim government on October 3, 2024, to make law enforcement more accountable and citizen-oriented, has submitted its 355-page final report to the government on January 15, 2026. Despite detailed short-, medium-, and long-term reform proposals, there has been no visible progress in implementing them. Bureaucratic hurdles and a lack of political will are cited as the main obstacles.

The commission’s recommendations include establishing transparent interrogation rooms, ensuring female police presence during questioning of women, ending the misuse of anonymous cases, and empowering the National Human Rights Commission to investigate rights violations by law enforcement. It also calls for reviewing the necessity of the Rapid Action Battalion, creating anti-corruption watchdog committees at police stations, and reforming recruitment, promotion, and training systems. Eleven proposals were identified as immediately actionable.

Experts warn that without political commitment, the reform process may stagnate, undermining public trust in the police and hindering improvements in Bangladesh’s law and order system.