In the wake of recent threats of sabotage and bomb attacks on the country’s international airports, the civil aviation authorities have launched a special combined security force.
The Aviation Security Force (Avsec), which started working experimentally on February 1 at the Shahjalal airport in Dhaka under the jurisdiction of the Civial Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (Caab), has hired 40 and 20 members from the Air Force and Ansar respectively.
Avsec is currently working unofficially as it is still to get Finance Ministry authorisation regarding its manpower.
The initial plan was to launch the force with 100 members – 40 more were supposed to come from the police – but due to legal complications, that has not happened.
An internal rule of the police force bars its members from reporting to any other authorities of the country even they are sent someone on deputation.
The Armed Police Battalion (APBn) – a battalion of police – has been looking after security at the airports. If police members are to come and join the Avsec, they would have to report to the APBn commander at the airport. But Caab wants the police members to report directly to them.
Group Captain Zakir Hossain, director of the Shahjalal airport, said yesterday: “The new force was scheduled to perform duty under the Caab. But police said their members would report to the APBn commander. We cannot allow that. We can only allow those officials who can work under our jurisdiction.”
When contacted, Alamgir Hossain, senior assistant police super of APBn, told the Dhaka Tribune last night: “40 of our members have not yet begun to work for the Avsec because their training is still going on.”
He also admitted that there were some legal tangles which they are now trying to solve and send their members to the Avsec.
Other security forces such as the Army, Air Force and Ansar do not have any such internal laws and hence can work on deputation under other authorities.
According to airport sources, the Avsec members have been given world class training on maintaining security at busy airports. Local experts gave the training with the help of a special technical module prepared by a British agency.
The issue of airport security came to the forefront after a Russian aircraft recently crashed in Egypt. Security arrangements at several international airports, including those in Bangladesh, came under fire.
Recently, a team of British aviation experts visited the Dhaka airport and filed a report that said the arrangements were too weak. They said anybody could transfer destructive things to other countries through the Dhaka airport because the people operating the scanners are not experts at their trade.
An airport official said that the report was discussed with utmost priority in a meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office and a proposal was placed there to form the special force – Avsec.
Last week, during the Police Week 2016, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also expressed her dissatisfaction at the slack security arrangements at the Dhaka airport.
A few months ago, the problem with security at the airport was exposed after a woman managed to enter the domestic counter without a boarding pass. Moreover, the recent spike in militant activities and threats in the country have also been a major headache for the authorities.
Seeking anonymity, a high official of Caab told the Dhaka Tribune: “The main problem with airport security is that there is no coordination among the existing forces. Everyone wants to establish their supremacy. As a result, security has been a total failure.”
The Dhaka Tribune has learned that the Avsec has been envisaged to eventually be a 250-strong force with contribution from the Air Force, Ansar and Police. Currently, the force is working on an experimental basis with 60 members.
When contacted, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said: “We have decided to form a special force to ensure security at the airports. But its manpower is not finalised yet. Until the force is formed, a special combined force would look after airport security.”
