Newly appointed Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Khandker Golam Faruq on Monday said that police are not concerned about political programmes, but if criminal offences are committed in the name of political events, action will be taken accordingly.

“Political programmes are not police’s headache. Our work is to maintain law and order. Arranging meetings or processions are parties’ political right,” he said.

The DMP Commissioner came up with the remarks while responding to reporters during “Commissioner’s Meet the Press” at DMP media centre on Monday. This was the first programme the commissioner organised after he took over on October 29.

If someone vandalizes or sets a car on fire or blocks the road in the name of political programme, these will be considered criminal offences, he added.

The DMP chief also said that as long as no criminal offences are committed centring political programmes, police will cooperate, the DMP Commissioner said.

Read: High Court asks why DMP authority to ban rallies not illegal

Regarding traffic congestion in Dhaka city, the police commissioner said that Dhaka was not developed in a planned way and several mega projects are underway in the capital which are the reasons behind the traffic jams. “We are working on reducing traffic jams,” he said.

Besides, work will be done to prevent illegal parking on roads, he added.

Responding to another question over controlling drug abuse, the DMP Commissioner said it cannot be stopped by simply cutting the supply, demand needs to go down as well.

The new police commissioner also stressed the need for controlling  cyber crimes  on a priority basis.