Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Monday said that the current government has added 83,577 jobs in the police department in the last three terms.

He also said that the government has taken the step due to the lack of manpower in the Bangladesh Police for ensuring law and order in the country. 

“The ratio of police and population has decreased compared with the previous times. The move to increase manpower in the police force is going on,” he said.

The home minister made the statement in Parliament in response to a question of Awami League lawmaker from Noakhali Md Mamunur Rashid Kiron.

He said that currently the total sanctioned posts of Bangladesh Police is 2, 14, 176 (police posts 2, 03, 367 and non-police posts 10, 809). 

“Due to the lack of manpower in the Bangladesh Police in ensuring law and order of the country, the current government has increased 83,577 posts in the last three terms.”

In response to the question of Independent lawmaker from Mymensingh ABM Anisuzzaman, the home minister said that application for passports and payment of passport fees have been made online in order to stop the influence of the brokers in the passport offices and to provide passports to service seekers easily,” he said.

“New passport office locations have been planned in highly populated areas of the country including Cumilla and Sylhet. Outsourcing the passport enrollment process is under active consideration,” he said.

In response to a question of the ruling party member from Bagerhat HM Bodiujjaman, the home minister said that 1,20,287 illegal drug smugglers have been arrested and brought under the law.

“A large quantity of drugs were seized in 2023 and 97, 241 cases were filed across the country by all agencies,” he said.

In response to another question of independent lawmaker from Dhaka-19 M Saiful Islam, the home minister said that currently some 82, 507 drug-related cases have remained pending in different judicial courts of the country.