BBC News Online: World: South Asia

Corruption 'rife' in Bangladeshi police

The Bangladeshi police department is reported to have compiled figures showing that four out of five officers have a criminal record.

The figures - published in a national newspaper Daily Ittefaq - show that in the past five years 85,000 of the country's 100,000-strong police force have been punished for their involvement in criminal activity.

Of these, about 12,000 were sacked or forced to retire: the rest were given warnings or other disciplinary action and were allowed to stay in their jobs.

A recent report by a watchdog organisation, Transparency International, described the Bangladeshi police as the most corrupt professional group in the country.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service