In the wake of the recent spate of abductions across the country, the Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) have decided to take special security measures to prevent any kidnapping from taking place in the port city.
In a special meeting yesterday, senior officials of the CMP suspended all plain-clothes police drives in the city until further instruction; with the exception of some special cases where plain-clothes teams – accompanied by some uniformed police personnel – will be able to carry out drives with special permission from the police deputy commissioner concerned, said CMP sources.
If any plain-clothes police team from outside the Chittagong metropolitan area want to conduct drives in the port city, they will have to inform the DC, said CMP Spokesperson Babul Akhter, also the additional deputy commissioner of CMP’s Detective Branch.
The meeting at the CMP Headquarters, chaired by CMP Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam, also instructed city residents to notify local police stations if they spotted any plain-clothes police teams carrying out drives. Sources also said any plain-clothes police teams will have to ensure their proper identities while boarding a civilian vehicle.
Surveillance is being increased at the port city’s entrances, while car owners have been instructed to remove tinted glasses from their vehicles.
Yesterday’s CMP meeting was also attended by Banaz Kumar Majumder, additional commissioner (crime and operation) and AKM Shahidur Rahman, additional commissioner (administration, finance and traffic), along with all CMP deputy commissioners, additional deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners and officers-in-charge under the jurisdiction of the CMP.