United News of Bangladesh

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali on Monday said they have put in place extensive security arrangements to ensure the national election and referendum scheduled for February 12 are held in a free, fair and peaceful manner. Briefing reporters at the DMP Media Centre, the DMP commissioner said a ‘foolproof’ security plan had been prepared and would be implemented with professionalism and neutrality. “We are working with dedication and sincerity. We want to set an example by ensuring a meaningful and widely acceptable election, overcoming the stigma associated with the misuse of law enforcement in past polls,” he said. The commissioner said the police would focus on maintaining law and order in electoral areas, ensuring security inside polling centres, protecting election officials and materials, safeguarding the offices of returning officers and enabling voters to cast their ballots without obstruction. He said peace at polling centres would be maintained through mobile and striking teams, while at least one police officer equipped with a body-worn camera would be deployed at sensitive centres. Joint operations and checkpoints would be carried out with other law enforcement agencies, and security would be provided to candidates and other election-related individuals. Despite limited resources and manpower, he said, the DMP was determined to deliver a “flawless and acceptable” election. For real-time monitoring, body-worn cameras will be used, while 180 striking teams and 510 mobile teams will be deployed across the capital. Eight control rooms have been set up across DMP’s eight crime divisions, along with four additional special control rooms. Special Reserve Force units will be stationed at strategic locations under the direct supervision of senior officers and will be mobilised rapidly if required. Elite units, including SWAT, the Bomb Disposal Unit, Dog Squad, Crime Scene Vans and mounted police, will also remain on standby. 37 Dhaka polling centres under risk watch: DMP Commissioner Calling on city residents to participate, the DMP mcommissioner urged voters to come to polling centres ‘fearlessly and peacefully’ to exercise their civic rights. On risk assessment, Sajjat Ali said polling centres in Dhaka had been categorised as ‘important’ and ‘general’ in line with Election Commission guidelines. A total of 1,614 centres have been identified as important and 517 as general. An additional 37 centres in hard-to-reach areas, including Kamrangirchar, Satarkul and Beraid, have been placed under special arrangements, with seven police officers to be deployed at each. Addressing concerns about possible threats, the commissioner said there was no security risk at present and that the overall law and order situation in Dhaka was “better than normal”. “There is no crime, no road blockade,” Sajjat Ali said, adding that law and order in the capital remained stable despite a population of about 36.6 million. On the issue of police neutrality, the DMP commissioner said that during his 15 months in office, the force had not worked in favour of any political party, and that its conduct reflected professional impartiality. He also said the security plan included protection for journalists, doctors, engineers and other professionals. Assuring media workers of their safety, he said there were no concerns regarding journalists’ security during the election period.  

Measures have been taken to ensure foolproof security for devotees including foreigners arriving at the Biswa Ijtema ground, said Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun, Inspector General of Police (IGP). Chowdhury Abdullah said this while talking to reporters after visiting the Ijtema ground on Wednesday. The first phase of Biswa Ijtema will be held on January 13 to January 15 and the second phase from January 20. Also read: First-phase Biswa Ijtema ends Sunday with Akheri Munajat The law enforcement forces will also ensure security through helicopter, watch tower, dog squad and CCTV cameras, he added. The government has taken all-out preparation to ensure smooth holding of Biswa Ijtema in two phases. END/UNB/Corr/MAS/FH/

The long-awaited Metro Rail in capital Dhaka is finally going to be opened to traffic by the year-end, bringing with it much hype and also its own share of challenges. The main challenge is ensuring its security. Authorities now have planned to form a specialised new police unit, “Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Police" or “MRT Police” to ensure security and safety checks at its every station. The proposal for formation of the new police unit is now awaiting the final approval of the Secretaries' Committee under the Cabinet Division. READ: Metro Rail’s performance test on Sunday  “The process of forming the MRT Police will start after getting the approval from the committee,” a senior official at the Police Headquarters told UNB. According to a Revised Strategic Transport Plan (RSTP), Dhaka Mass Transit Development Company Limited (DMTCL) has planned to construct six metro rail routes in Dhaka by 2030, with a total length of 128.74km. Construction work on the six metro rail lines is underway aiming to complete it by the timeframe. The six metro rail routes will create a128.74km metro rail network, which will have 104 stations -- 53 underground and51 elevated, according to the DMTCL. The MRT police will ensure the security of the entire metro rails in the future as 5 million passengers will use the metro rail network per day. During a presentation of Metro rail at Ganobhaban in September 2019, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina underscored the need for the formation of the separate police unit for ensuring the security of the metro rail. Later, the DMTCL, under the Ministry of Road, Transport, and Bridges Ministry, submitted the proposal to the Police Headquarters in the same month for the formation of the MRT police. Following the proposal, the Police Headquarters had sent a draft organogram to the Home Ministry’s Public Security Division for forming the new unit. After scrutiny, the division later sent the draft to the Public Administration Ministry, then the Finance Ministry and finally to the Cabinet division. Contacted, additional DIG (O&M) of Police Headquarters (PHQ), SM Mostak Ahmed told UNB that the draft proposal is now at the Cabinet Division for discussing it at the Secretaries’ Committee for its final approval. Replying to a question, he said, “Now the draft proposal is at the final stage. Once approved, more time will be needed to complete the formation process of the MRT police unit.” After the formation of the unit, the MRT police unit will work out a deployment plan after security assessments. “We’ll do everything from our part to ensure the security of the Metro Rail,” Mostak Ahmed said.