The government has decided to introduce a dedicated ‘shortcode’ service alongside a police hotline to prevent violence against women.
This initiative is part of four major digital advancements aimed at modernizing the Bangladesh Police, according to a press release issued by the Chief Adviser’s Press Wing on Tuesday.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the chief adviser’s special assistant for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, said that an additional ‘3’ will be added to the existing national helpline ‘333’, creating the new number ‘3333’. This will allow victims to report any gender-based violence directly. Additionally, callers can also press ‘3’ after dialing ‘333’ to be redirected to the police call center.
"To ensure that women can report complaints comfortably, the government is planning to staff the call center with 100% female personnel. However, since ‘999’ is a life-saving emergency service and its expansion is a time-consuming process, the new ‘3333’ service will operate independently for now.
"The police force is undergoing a series of digital transformations, including an online General Diary (GD) system, an online FIR registration platform, and an Incident Tracking Software for better complaint management. Under the new system, once a complaint is received, the caller's profile will be downloaded and forwarded directly to the relevant police station. The government is also working on a database containing contact details of on-duty police officers at all stations."
Faiz added that to improve internal communication within the force, the ICT Division is developing a Police Command App, which will have a tiered structure for officials at different levels. The top level (Tier-1) will include the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and senior officers, followed by Range DIGs and district police chiefs. Police station officers will not be immediately integrated into the app.
"Currently, police officers rely on WhatsApp for internal communication, which poses security risks and inefficiencies. To address this, the government is developing a ‘Push-to-Talk’ app with built-in security features to prevent data leaks and unauthorized access.
"Additionally, an Incident Tracking System is being developed to monitor all communication related to investigations. This system will store records of all complaints, actions taken, and official exchanges in one platform, improving efficiency and reducing the workload for police personnel."
The ICT Division is providing full technical support for these initiatives, and the prototype of the Police Command App has already been completed, with further improvements underway, Faiz said.
