Fatema Begum is a retired Additional Inspector General of Bangladesh Police, second highest rank, and the first woman to join the police as a cadre officer of the Bangladesh Civil Service. [1]
Begum is a director of Bangladesh Finance. [2]
Begum was born on 14 April 1958 in Munshiganj District, East Bengal, Pakistan. [3] She graduated from the Central Women's College and her masters at the University of Dhaka in botany. [3] She studied at the University of Adelaide with a scholarship from Australian Aid. [3]
Begum joined Bangladesh Police on 21 January 1986 as an Assistant Superintendent of Police after passing the Bangladesh Civil Service, the first woman to do so. [3] [4] She was harassed by her colleague during training and the other female cadre quite during training at the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre. [1] [5] She requested to be removed from the police cadre due to the constant harassment but her request was denied. [1] Begum served in Tangail District and Khagrachari District. [3] She was an Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police. [3] She was promoted to Superintendent of Police and appointed to Police Telecom. [3]
Begum was the Superintendent of Police of Thakurgaon District. [3] She served in a peacekeeping mission of the United Nations. [3] She was transferred to the Special Branch in 2007, [6] and later served as the Commandant of the Special Branch Training School. [3] She was the director of investigations of Rapid Action Battalion. [3] She was a Deputy Inspector General of Special Branch. [3] Begum was the rector of Police Staff College. [7] In 2017, she was awarded the Bangladesh Police Women Award by Bangladesh Police headquarter. [8] [9] She retired in 2018. [10]
On 31 July 2023, Begum was appointed director of Bangladesh Finance. [11]