Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s political adviser HT Imam last night unveiled the government plan to reorganise the home ministry.
He suggested that the government should not only form separate divisions for police but also for the home ministry, he said while addressing as the chief guest at the 34th annual meeting of the Bangladesh Police Service Association held at Rajarbagh Police Lines Auditorium.
He said: “But it should be clearly specified which division will work under which ministry.”
“We can use the relations between the Armed Forces Division and the defence ministry in this regard”, he said.
He said the Fire Service and Civil Defence should not be under the home ministry, rather it should go under the disaster management ministry while the Para-military Border Guard Bangladesh also should not remain under the home ministry.
He said police is not a separate entity that is separated from the government. It is an organ of the government and for that reason police and defence should be given special priorities.
“The Navy should be given priorities for the preservation of our assets in the sea while the air forces for keeping our sky limit secured”, he said.
At his speech, the advisor said people could see the budget for police but they do not know about the defence budget. The defence budget should also be made public like many other countries.”
Citing about the mayhem before the national election centring the War Crime Trial, he said: “The Jamaat-Shibir and militants had announced a war against the country. But police had tackled it.”
In response to the demands from the police for granting eight more posts of grade-1 in the police department, the advisor said the government has the will to meet the demand and there is proverb “Where there is a will there is a way.”
He also agreed with the necessities of residential facilities, vehicles and other logistics for the police.
Mashiur Rahman, the financial advisor to the PM, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan and Inspector General of Police Hasan Mahmood Khandker, among others, spoke at the function chaired by Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benajir Ahmed.
Mashiur Rahman said the police department had shown its efficiency but in course of time the type of crimes are changed.
The state minister for home also agreed with the demands of the police officials saying that all the demands of the police were logical.
“As militancy has spread its tentacles across the country the need for a National Bureau of Counter Terrorism is a demand of the time”, he said.
IGP Hasan Mahmood Khandker said additional manpower in the police is not a demand but a need of the time. He also stresses the need for a National Bureau of Counter Terrorism to tackle militancy.
He claimed that since the Industrial police was launched the exports in the country was increased up to 43%.
The DMP commissioner said the police deserve at least 19 posts of Grade-1. They should be granted at least 8 more Grade-1 posts in addition to the existing three posts.