Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker Saturday said police plays an important role in the country’s socio-economic development, and female police personnel make an excellent contribution.
He was speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of Police Women’s Network’s first national convention, titled “Women Police in Liveliness and Empowerment” at the Police Lines in the capital’s Rajarbagh.
IGP said, previously, female members of the police only dealt with cases filed in connection with repression against women but are now engaged in investigating sensitive and important cases. They are also being deployed in the police teams that ensure the security of VIPs.
“Women police unit started its journey a few decades back. Now you look at their achievements and no one can say they are lesser than their male counterparts, and, in many cases they have surpassed the male officers,” he added.
The women police unit was launched with only six members, but now that number has crossed 6,000.
“We have also received positive feedback from the United Nations (UN), as some of our female police personnel have been sent on the UN missions. The UN is now planning to hire more Bangladeshi female police,” the IGP said.
President of Bangladesh Police Women’s Network, Mili Biswas said: “We will discuss the female members’ problems and ways to solve them in this convention.” She hoped that easy solutions for the existing problems will be found through discussion.
Speaking as a special guest, Additional Inspector General of Police Md Mokhlesur Rahman said female police in the country are playing a pioneering role in Asia. He added that in future, they will take the lead of female policing in the world and hoped that their number will increase to 600,000.
After the inaugural session, the IGP distributed crests among the guests.
