Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) is going to form a separate police unit that will be charged with maintaining law and order and protecting biodiversity on the two seashores of the port city.
A proposal in this regard was sent to the police headquarters in March and is currently “under consideration,” sources familiar with the process said.
The proposal stated that Patenga and Parki beaches, despite being two popular tourist destinations, have no separate law enforcing agency to ensure security for the tourists, protect marine biodiversity and check environmental pollution.
The combined length of the two beaches is around 27 kilometres Patenga with a 17-km stretch of beach and Parki with a 10-km stretch. In addition, there are two approach roads, about 15 kilometres long, connecting the beaches.
For such large areas of land and the gigantic tasks that are involved, there are only 114 officials who belong to the nearby Patenga and Karnaphuli police stations, said sources.
In the proposal report, it was said that tourists cannot stay on the beaches after a certain time of the day because of safety concerns emanating from lack of security personnel.
It also mentioned that the number of visitors would increase “manifold” if the proposed Karnaphuli tunnel which would also connect the beaches is constructed, requiring further attention to security.
To meet all these challenges, CMP proposed appointing 537 security personnel, including 150 female, under the tourist police unit and other support staff for the beaches, said sources.
The proposed unit would be led by a deputy commissioner and be divided into three subzones, each headed by an assistant commissioner.
Also, 12 police outposts would be set up under the jurisdiction of Patenga and Karnaphuli police stations.
“It is necessary to form a special police unit for expansion of our beach-centric tourism industry and better conservation of biodiversity,” said Banaj Kumar Majumdar, an additional commissioner for crime at the CMP.
“The proposed unit would be especially trained for the purposes,” said Banaj, who helped form a similar unit in Cox’s Bazar during his tenure as the district’s superintendent of police.
Besides, the tourist police can be made use of in providing information regarding tourist facilities and helping coastal people in the event of any natural disaster, he added.