Criminal Investigation Department (Bangladesh)

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID)^[1] is a specialized wing of the Bangladesh Police. It carries out investigations into crimes, including terrorism, murders and organized crime. It also gives forensic support. It is headquartered in Malibagh, Dhaka and maintains a training school named the Detective Training School. Personnel attached to this wing essentially work in plain clothes.

About

Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is one of the ancient and specialized units of Bangladesh Police. It is the apex body of investigation of Bangladesh Police as well as Bangladesh government. Investigation of scheduled cases suggested by laws and cases instructed from courts is the basic function of CID. CID also undertakes the investigation of specialized crimes that require technical expertise. Apart from investigation there are some special functions too, through which CID assists other organs of the Bangladesh government through providing expert opinion in various cases.

History

Since passage of Act V of 1861, whereby the police system of British India got streamlined, there were proposals at regular intervals to form a specialized detective wing. It was not until the Police Commission of 1902-03, which recommended the formation of a Criminal Investigation Department for each of the provinces, that the concept was seriously studied.

The Commission recommended that a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) should be constituted in each province under a Deputy Inspector General of Police, for the purpose of collating and distributing information regarding organised crimes. It would supervise the Railway Police and the Finger Print Bureau, which had earlier been under the Secretariat Police Officer. The CID would handle the investigation of specialised crimes requiring technical expertise. Finally on 21 March 1905, the Government of India accepted the Commission's recommendation issued instructions to establish a CID in every province by 1907. In Bengal the CID was first directed by C.W.C. Plowden, beginning 1 April 1906.

Organisation

CID is headed by an Additional Inspector General of Police who is a member of Bangladesh police. Like other branches of police it has senior officers like Deputy Inspector Generals, Additional Deputy Inspector Generals, Superintendents, Additional Superintendents, assistant Superintendents, Inspectors, Sub Inspectors and the constabulary. Officers attached to this wing generally add the prefix 'Special' before their regular rank.^[2] Vision CID will continue as the most effective institution in criminal investigation & detection. Mission Ensure justice through faster & quality investigation; use of forensic evidence, increase criminal database; capacity building of investigators for effective investigation; ensure use of modern technology; prevent terrorism, IT crime & organized crime. Service The following services are provided by CID: Scheduled Offences for CID Investigation 1. Dacoity. 2. Highway, rail or mail robbery. 3. Counterfeiting coin or stamps, Forging Govt. currency or promissory notes and uttering or being in possession of the same. 4. Drugging or Poisoning. 5. Swindling. 6. Murder for gain. 7. Insurance frauds of serious nature. 8. Offence relating to drug abuses. 9. Kidnapping for ransom. 10. Offence relating to antique smuggling. 11. Offence relating to deed forgery by professional criminals. 12. Offence relating to cheat by bogus appointment by professional criminals. 13. Cases of bank frauds. Apart from the scheduled offences CID may be entrusted with the investigation of any other crime by the Government. Crime Scene Management The crime scene is a highly important source of physical evidence wherefrom forensic investigations begin. From the point of collection up to the final processing of the same, evidence must be kept within a strict chain of custody so that no contamination, alteration, addition or deletion with any other objects takes place. Crime scene management is one of the most important functions of CID in the detection of serious crimes. The purpose of crime scene investigation is to help establish what happened (crime scene reconstruction) and to identify the real perpetrators. CID officers who protect and search a crime scene play a decisive role in determining and prosecuting criminals.

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