BANGLADESH COAST GUARD – NEEDS OF STREAMLINING OVERLAPPING FUNCTIONS AND BRINGING REFORM IN DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURE

Outline

1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. BCG's Area of Responsibility and Convergence with Other Forces
4. Clear Demarcation, Incidental Magistracy and Maritime Assistance Services
5. Needs of Bringing Reform in Decision-Making Structure
6. Experience of Other Coast Guards
7. Towards Building a More Effective Decision-Making Structure
8. Conclusion

BANGLADESH COAST GUARD – NEEDS OF STREAMLINING OVERLAPPING FUNCTIONS AND BRINGING REFORM IN DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURE

Author: Aurangzeb Chowdhury

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2019v40n2a1

ABSTRACT

Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) came into being in 1995. As the youngest law enforcing agency, it finds some difficulties in making required elbow room among other forces. In course of time, overlaps with other forces cropped up. BCG believes that the overlaps can be eliminated through clear demarcation of responsibilities and areas of jurisdiction. Besides, providing limited magistracy power at sea and making BCG the maritime service provider for other law enforcing agencies would strengthen the law enforcing efforts and save resources. On the other hand, BCG’s decision-making structure has a huge scope of deeper engagement towards obtaining better decisions for BCG. Placement of BCG officers in the ministry and establishing seamless communications with the decision-making structure are some of the measures to overcome this hindrance. Experiences of other coast guards across the globe also suggest similar steps. Towards building a more effective and efficient decision-making structure, ministry-BCG overlapping placements and engaging the decisionmakers more deeply can be suggested along with a few other measures. With these teething problems resolved, one believes that BCG would be in a far better position to become the true ‘Guardian at sea’.

BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

Outline