Expressing concerns over illegal operations and arrests conducted by a section of law enforcement officials in exchange of bribes, high officials of the police yesterday abolished civil teams in different units of the force and Rapid Action Battalion, and imposed specific conditions for conducting drives in plainclothes.
The decisions came at a closed-door day-long meeting of senior police officials, ranking from the Deputy Inspector General of police to above, at the Police Headquarters.
Sources in police said the meeting elaborately discussed the law and order situation of the country and the involvement of law enforcers in criminal activities. The meeting also agreed to take stern actions against officials found guilty in arresting people in exchanges of bribes.
In the back drop of widespread allegations against the police and RAB for committing illegal activities in plain-clothes, the meeting also decided that specific civil teams will no longer exist in any police station or unit of the law enforcing agencies, but police and Rab officials would be allowed to conduct raids or operations in plain clothes upon specific conditions.
According to sources, the meeting decided that from now on, police stations concerned must be kept informed before any operation by any law enforcement agency takes place in the respective jurisdiction. Moreover, uniformed officials must be included or remain present at the spot where a plain clothes team will conduct an operation.
The decision on plain-clothes operations came immediately after Dhaka Range and Chittagong Metropolitan Police and Sylhet Metropolitan Police separately put a ban on operations in plain clothes.
Although it was a scheduled quarterly crime conference, the meeting was focused by the incidents of intensified killing after abduction, involvement of the law enforcers in extortions and their various other criminal activities, sources said.
The killings of seven people after their abduction in Narayanganj and other recent abductions elsewhere in the country were also highlighted in the meeting.
However, officials at meeting claimed the scenario in Narayanganj did not project the overall law and order situation of the country.
The meeting also decided for in-depth monitoring of the cases linked to JMB and other militant organisations and emphasised the importance on the Community Policing activities.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune on Saturday night, IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandker had said the incidents like in Narayanganj did not take place in the rest 63 other districts.
He also claimed that the number of abductions had not risen and the law and order situation had not been out of control.
However, at the meeting DIG (Crime)Helal Uddin Badri claimed that in last three months crimes related abduction, killing, mugging, extortion, trafficking of women and children have been declined compared to the past across the country.
Chaired by IGP, Additional IGP AKM Shahidul Hoque, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) Director General Mokhlesur Rahman, commissioners of all the Metropolitan of Police, DIGs of all the ranges, among others, were present at the meeting.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by Kamrul Ahsan, senior information officer at the Police Headquarters, mentioned that IGP Hassan Mahmood Khandker in his speech asked the police and Rab officials to discharge their duties through their best capacities.
“The IGP also ordered police officials to unveil the motives behind abductions across the country and asked senior police officials for monitoring the cases,” the statement added.
