British aid money may have been used to help corrupt regimes stamp out political opposition , a damning report warns today . The study by the government ’ s aid watchdog warns that a £52 million programme to help strengthen Bangladesh ’ s security services could have been used to target opponents of the regime . British aid money was used to train detectives in tracking mobile phones and analysing call data – skills which researchers warned could be used to ‘ monitor and suppress political opposition groups ’ in the country where corruption is endemic . A report claims British aid money may have been used to help corrupt regimes stamp out political opposition . Pictured : Police stand guard following demonstrations in the Democratic Republic of Congo . The Department for International Development ( Dfid ) initially said the officers involved were not involved in political activity . But when the Independent Commission on Aid Impact warned it would go public on its concerns , the project was scrapped . Dfid last night insisted there was ‘ no evidence ’ that funding had been misused . The commission ’ s report reveals that Dfid also funded training for the Bangladeshi police in taking fingerprints - including fingerprinting 40,000 convicted prisoners . But researchers questioned the value of the scheme in a country where fingerprint evidence is not admissible in court . The new study raised widespread concerns about the use of British aid to help so-called fragile states strengthen their police and security services . In Sudan , a programme to strengthen local police had to be abandoned in 2013 amid concerns about police brutality towards street children . In the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ) a similar programme was scrapped last year after a United Nations report accused the Congolese national police of involvement in illegal killings . Today ’ s study gives the overall programme its second-lowest ‘ amber-red ’ rating , meaning that it is performing ‘ relatively poorly ’ , with ‘ significant improvements ’ needed to achieve value for money . The report acknowledges the importance of trying to improve policing in some of the world ’ s poorest countries , where corruption and police brutality are often rife . The study by the government ’ s aid watchdog warns that a £52 million programme to help strengthen Bangladesh ’ s security services could have been used to target opponents of the regime . But it says that Dfid ’ s projects are ‘ not making enough of a difference to the lives of the poor ’ . Watchdog chief Graham Ward said a ‘ significant rethink ’ was now needed to make the projects ‘ more realistic and effective ’ . The study was scathing about a project to build ‘ model police stations ’ in a range of countries , including Nigeria , Bangladesh , Malawi , Sri Lanka and the DRC . The initiative was meant to raise standards by establishing beacons of good policing . The new ‘ model ’ stations were given extra cash for training and equipment . In Bangladesh , 15 of the new police stations were built . But the report finds that ‘ perceptions of police performance are , by most measures , worse in model police stations than the national average ’ . The proportion of people saying they have been the victim of crime increased by 48 per cent in the period , while the proportion forced to pay bribes to police officers more than trebled . The study found there was ‘ little evidence ’ of improvement in police standards in Nigeria and the DRC – and warned that the model police stations were too expensive to ever be replicated across the country . However , the study did find some evidence that Dfid projects were helping reduce crime against women and girls in some countries . Dfid last night defended its strategy of investing in police and security forces . A spokesman said there was ‘ no evidence ’ that funding in Bangladesh had supported police repression of political dissidents . The spokesman said the project had been dropped following a ‘ risk review ’ . She also defended the fingerprinting project , which she said would aid the detection of crime and reduce the reliance on forced confessions . She added : ‘ Security and justice are the most challenging sectors we work in and Dfid focuses on countries with the biggest potential for improvement . We have made good process particularly in helping women and girls gain access to justice , but where concerns about human rights and instability become too high , we have no hesitation in shutting programmes down. ’ But Labour said the report showed ministers had ‘ no strategy ’ for dealing with the issues .
Reports says £48 per centm for Bangladesh ’ s security services used incorrectly . It warns money was instead used to target opponents of the regime . Aid also used to train detectives to analyse call data and track mobiles . Researchers warned skills could 'suppress political opposition group ' Government said there is 'no evidence ' funding has been misused .