Dhaka: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Baharul Alam has announced that the police force is actively preparing to ensure that the upcoming parliamentary elections are conducted in a free, fair, and peaceful manner. “Our main target is the next election…We’re preparing for that,” he stated in a recent discussion with BSS.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the government has implemented several measures to facilitate peaceful elections. Among these steps is the deployment of eight lakh members from various law enforcement agencies, including the police, Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Training programs have already commenced for the law enforcement personnel who will be on duty during the election period. Additionally, Ansar personnel will be specifically tasked with protecting presiding officers at polling stations.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has revealed plans to procure 40,000 body-worn cameras to equip senior police officers at 47,000 polling centers, enabling real-time updates from these locations. Furthermore, the government is expected to announce a bounty for information leading to the recovery of approximately 700 missing police firearms that were looted after August 5 last year.
The looted cache, which included 5,750 firearms and 651,609 rounds of ammunition, was taken from various police stations and outposts following the dislodging of the Awami League government amid a Mass Uprising. The government initiated joint operations on September 4 last year to recover these arms and ammunition.
Police headquarters reports indicate that law enforcement played a pivotal role in restoring normalcy to public life following the adverse conditions that arose after the ousting of the Awami League government. To maintain law and order and recover the looted firearms, the police launched a nationwide special drive against criminals shortly after August 5 last year. This operation is set to continue until the next election to ensure public safety and order.